In this episode of Real College Podcast, our team of reporters visited the long-running Twin Cities Arab Film Festival to showcase stories that span borders and generations. Anna Adamson speaks with award-winning Palestinian filmmaker Laila Abbas about creating art under constraint— and why Palestinian stories deserve a global audience. Then, Bianca Caputo introduces us to Mizna, the Minneapolis-based Arab arts organization behind the festival. Next, Hayden Lessiter and Alexandra Denisova speak with Lebanese filmmaker Jihad Saade about Shapes of Normal Human Beings, a 2025 documentary born from an 8-day road trip across Lebanon. Finally, Vanessa Pham sits down with a student leader from the Arab Student Association to reflect on the experience of watching these stories unfold on the big screen, and what it means for Arab students on campus.

Anna Adamson – “A New Picture of Palestine”
Bianca Caputo – “Behind the Curtain”
Hayden Lessiter and Alexandra Denisova – “Road Tripping Through Lebanon”
Vanessa Pham – “Arab Student Association”