2010-03-10 17:48:17
WAM Minnesota, March 10th, 2010: The Emarati film "Henna" is the first emarati film to take part in the Twin Cities 6th Arab Film Festival which kicks off on Thursday in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.

Henna, directed by Saleh Karama, sheds light on the UAE in the 1970's and the then dominant social relations. It is also the first long-running film from the Gulf.

20 other Arab and non-Arab films are taking part in the festival.

Director of the festival Mohammed Ghunaima said Henna is a real addition to the event.

Henna won the best director award at the Middle East Film Festival in Abu Dhabi in 2008.

The festival which runs to March 14th, is organized by Mizna, an organization devoted to promoting Arab-American culture, providing a forum for its expression and giving voice to Arab Americans through literature and art.

Mizna is an Arabic word meaning "the cloud of the desert." This cloud shades and protects the desert traveler, easing the journey.

Mizna was conceived of in 2002 and was first presented in 2003. It has since run on an eighteen-month cycle, between autumn and spring seasons. It is the second longest standing Arab Film Festival in North America.

The festival aims to exhibit primarily films made by and about Arabs, but also about non-Arabs who live in the Arab world. With few exceptions, the festival screens Minnesota theatrical premieres. For Mizna, the festival serves as an opportunity to collaborate with a variety of Twin Cities organizations.

WAM/MMYS