Movies at the MacKenzie presents 2 Arabic language films: “You Will Die at Twenty” and “Baghdad Messi”

Register for tickets to this double-feature today
Tickets are free for HFC students and employees.

The third film in the new Movies at the MacKenzie series is the 2019 Sudanese film You Will Die at Twenty, which will play in the Adray Auditorium (Room F-100) in the MacKenzie Fine Arts Center (Building F on the main campus) on Tuesday, November 24, from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.

The 2012 short film Baghdad Messi will serve as the curtain raiser before the main event.

The screening is free for the entire HFC community, but you must register for tickets at the link above. The free film series is a collaboration between the Film and Media Club, the Evergreen Theatrical Society, Student Activities, Media Communication Arts, and Theatre.

“I'm eager to spread the word about these two award-winning Arabic language films [with subtitles] on our campus!” said HFC Director of Theatre Dr. John-Michael Sefel.

Note: This will be the final installment in the Movies at the MacKenzie series for 2026. This film series will resume in the Winter 2027 semester on Tuesday, January 26, 2027 with Nightcrawler, the 2014 Oscar-nominated psychological thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, and Bill Paxton.

Both unrated films are in Arabic with English subtitles

The official submission of Sudan for the Best International Feature Film category of the 93rd Academy Awards in 2021, You Will Die at Twenty is directed by Amjad Abu Alala, and is based on a short story by Hammour Ziada. At the naming ceremony for a baby boy named Muzamil, a Sufi holy man in a trance predicts that the child will die when he turns 20. In his adolescence, Muzamil feels uneasy about his future and wonders what will happen once he turns 20.

Baghdad Messi is directed by Sahim Omar Kalifa. This is not to be confused with the full feature-length film of the same name he directed in 2023. The 19-minute short film occurs in war-torn Baghdad, Iraq circa 2009. Ten-year-old Hamoudi is totally obsessed with soccer, despite having lost a leg in a terrorist attack. Just like the rest of the world, he and his friends are eagerly looking forward to the Champions League finale between FC Barcelona and Manchester United. But Hamoudi's television breaks down as the big game starts. Determined not to miss the game, Hamoudi convinces his father to embark on a hazardous journey to Baghdad to get the television repaired.

Both films are unrated.

Tickets are available to HFC students and employees. Sefel stated that ticket holders can get an extra ticket and bring one non-HFC guest to You Will Die at Twenty.

Please donate to the Hawks’ Nest

While the You Will Die at Twenty screening is free, Sefel encourages attendees to bring a non-perishable food item(s) to be donated to the Hawks’ Nest, the College’s student food pantry. The Hawks’ Nest needs the following:

• Canned goods and non-perishable food items (expired items will not be accepted)
• Cleaning products
• Toiletries
• Related items that are shelf-stable and require no refrigeration

Please bring your donation(s) to the screening. They will be collected in the lobby prior to the start of the film.

Concessions

There will be no concessions for sale. The basic rule of no food or drinks other than water/basic foods for health needs still apply in the Adray.

There are vending machines immediately outside of the Adray that sell chips, candy, non-alcoholic beverages, and more. There is also a free hydration station to refill your water bottles. You can refresh yourselves before or after the screening.

Suggest a movie

Students: If you have a movie that you think would be a good fit for the free film series – something most likely to be popular and entertaining for the majority of our student population – keep your eyes open for the "movie suggestions!" online form that will be available in the weeks ahead.

Faculty: If you have a film that you would like you show in the Adray that is relevant to your class or other specialized area(s), but not necessarily as part of our "whole campus entertainment" push (i.e., documentaries, educational films, etc.), contact HFC Arts Coordinator and Technical Director Seth Amadei below.

Questions

For questions or more information, contact any of the following:

• For content questions about the free film series, contact Susan McGraw at scmgraw@hfcc.edu.
• For facility and ticketing questions, contact Seth Amadei at sjamadei@hfcc.edu.
• For the Hawks’ Nest, contact Kayli Hessbrook at khessbrook@hfcc.edu.
• For everything else, contact Dr. John-Michael Sefel at jsefel@hfcc.edu.