We discuss the SWANA films that received Oscar nominations and make an exciting announcement about this year’s Awesome Con!
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 76: SWANA Oscar Noms and Awesome Con 2026”
Annemarie Jacir’s Palestine 36 is an epic historical film that takes the audience back to 1936 when Palestine began to make a great push resisting British colonial rule. It is not only an astoundingly well made film with incredible performances, it is a film that is a much needed history lesson that needs to be shown in every school and university in western nations and around the world. At its core, the film shows the Palestinian resistance for what it really is: a fight for freedom and independence which has been going on for many, many decades.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Palestine 36’ is an Epic Historical Film of Resounding Importance”
We review Palestinian director Annemarie Jacir’s latest film, Palestine 36, which chronicles the last days of the British Mandate of Palestine.
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 74: ‘Palestine 36’ Review and the Echoes of the Past”
Usman Riaz has achieved his lifelong dream of realizing his story, The Glassworker, to the screen. Drawing from his own love and practice of art and music, it is easy to see how both characters are avatars for Riaz, as he uses his own experiences to masterfully craft his anti-war story, serving as the film’s writer, director, and co-composer.
Continue reading “Writer/Director/Composer Usman Riaz Talks about Crafting ‘The Glassworker’”
Writer, director, and co-composer of The Glassworker, Usman Riaz, worked on his inaugural animated film for over a decade. And the results show vividly in the finished feature, giving us a simultaneously intimate and grand story showcasing the beauty of art against the horrors of war.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘The Glassworker’ Masterfully Crafts its Anti-War Message”
To the Los Angeles theatre community, I love you and I adore you. I’ve been part of you for the past 15 years and despite the many challenges I have come across when it comes to meaningful representation and opportunities, I will always cherish the countless memories we have experienced and will continue to experience together as an artist and as a critic. But I think it’s time we desperately need to talk about the one subject that you have been avoiding for so long — Palestine.
Continue reading “Los Angeles Theatre, Let’s Talk About Palestine”
Normally I hate, haaaaaate watching trauma films of global majority folks because I fully believe that we are more than our tragedies and have many stories of joy, silliness, and delight within us. But the world, particularly the western world, still cannot comprehend the tragedies continuously endured by the Palestinian people.
Continue reading “‘The Teacher’ is an Invaluable and Stirring Drama of Occupied Palestine”
What exactly happened during the student protests at Columbia University last year and similar universities in the United States and worldwide? What were they fighting for? Was it as truly antisemitic as the Democratic Party, mainstream media, and now the MAGA-led Trump administration say it was?
Continue reading “‘The Encampments’ is an Essential Documentary for the Ages”
We’re joined by activist Andrew Kadi to review the harrowing yet hopeful documentary compilation From Ground Zero, in which 22 Palestinian filmmakers document their genocide from Gaza.
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 70: ‘From Ground Zero’ and 2024 in Review”