The Middle Geeks

We're excited to have Meg Humphrey of Rogue Podron on to discuss  Star Wars: Visions , the new anime anthology on Disney+ that breathes fresh life into this franchise with Japanese creators, crafting stories in a universe that was *heavily* inspired by their own culture. Why is it so important for the Star Wars franchise to have this, and why is it crucial that it continues to do so with other Jap...

We are delighted to welcome Abubakr Ali on the podcast, who will be playing the titular role in Netflix's Grendel , making him the FIRST Arab and Muslim actor to headline a comic adaptation in TV/Film! We discuss what got him into acting, his career so far, what his favorite superhero and other media are, and much more. Enjoy the conversation!   We are a proud member of the Hard NOC podcast family...

Denis Villeneuve's Dune adaptation, based on a book that was explicitly and heavily influenced by Middle East and North African (MENA) and Islamic cultures, is out, and we are joined by our friends and fellow MENA critics Hanna Flint and Roxana Hadadi to review it. Why were there no direct MENA and Muslim creators or actors starring (barring our fave David Dastmalchian in a small villainous role)...

Created by Jordanian creator Tima Shomali, AlRawabi School for Girls is a devastatingly excellent series on Netflix exploring the dynamics of a Jordanian high school. What causes these girls to escalate their psychological wars on each other? How does this series do at exploring some of the systemic patriarchal problems in Middle Eastern societies? We discuss all of that and why we love this serie...

Ferdosa joins us to discuss the Netflix documentary "Lift Like a Girl"! How well did this documentary do at showcasing the weightlifting journey of Asmaa and her team, and the depiction of everyday Egyptians? What could it have done better? We also discuss the exciting news that Black Palestinian writer and actor Yassir Lester will be the head writer of the upcoming MCU series "Armor Wars," and sp...

Palestinian historian and scholar N.A. Mansour joins us to discuss the situation in Palestine, where the situation stands now, how pop culture plays into the dehumanization of Palestinians, and what you can do to help and learn more about Palestinian people and their struggles. We also discuss all of Loki Season 1! What did we like about the series, and what themes resonated with us? Where could i...

Shayan Sobhian, AKA Behrad Tarazi of  Legends of Tomorrow, joins Swara to discuss his upcoming episode, "This is Gus"! They talk about how Shayan relates to his character, the importance and impact of representation, and how Behrad may be developing this season. Enjoy listening!  This is a podcast form of the interview published here for The Nerds of Color.  

For Pride Month, we are so excited to have on Amin El Gamal, who plays Sam on the amazing queer Ramadan rom-com Breaking Fast , which is now on Hulu! We dig into what drew Amin to acting, the experience of filming Breaking Fast and working with Mike Mosallam, their thoughts on the current landscape of MENA and queer stories in film and, what he'd love to see more of in the industry, and much more!...

We are SO excited to discuss Nida Manzoor's We Are Lady Parts, a British series featuring a punk rock band of all Muslim women of color, including MENA women, premiering today on Peacock TV! What did we love particularly about this series, and how well does it handle representation? We also discuss the news of the additional Sandman  for Netflix, including the Lebanese Razane Jammal,  American Eid...

We discuss the most recent IDF and Israeli brutalization and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza and East Jerusalem and discuss what the world and the US need to do to help those affected and end the occupation. We discuss what the daily reality is like for Palestinians in the West Bank through Farah Nabulsi's brilliant short film, The Present , which you can watch on Netflix. Please do what...

Tala Ashe, who plays our favorite superhero on tv Zari Tarazi, joins Swara for a discussion of the next Legends of Tomorrow episode, "The Ex-Factor"! They talk about the importance of Iranian, MENA, and Muslim representation, where Zari's journey goes this season, and the experience of working on a show as exciting as Legends. Enjoy!    This is a podcast form of the interview published here for Ne...

In the second of our interview series, author Reem Faruqi and artist Fahmida Azim join us to discuss their new book, Amira's Picture Day , out now! We discuss the impetus for this delightful children's book that takes place on the Muslim holiday Eid-Al-Fitr, celebrating the end of Ramadan, and what else inspired them in the creation of this wonderful story, from the beautiful art to the deeply emb...

This month, we're reviewing not one, but TWO series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+, and Nasim Pedrad's Chad on TBS! What did we think of the overall series and finale of "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier"? How well did it handle the sociopolitical and geopolitical themes it tried to tackle? How did Chad do a good job at presenting a normal Iranian-American family, and what did we m...

We're joined once again by the wonderful Arezou to discuss and review the entirety of Marvel's WandaVision on Disney+! What did we think the series did well, and what were areas it could have improved upon? How well did it do at exploring themes of love and grief? What do we think it says about the future of the MCU, and the standard it sets for character development and exploration going forward?...

We're joined by Mae's sister Sonia to discuss the inaugural film of Algerian director Rayhana Obermeyer, "I Still Hide to Smoke." How well does this film convey the experiences of living as a woman in Algeria in the mid-1990s? How are the themes explored applicable to women's issues worldwide? How amazing is Hiam Abbas in the lead role (answer: incredibly amazing as she is in everything.) We also...

We are joined by our friend Tariq Raouf to discuss the upcoming film  Breaking Fast , which features a gay Arab-American Muslim as its protagonist! We discuss what we enjoyed about the film, what director and writer Mike Mosallam was trying to say with this delightful rom-com, how well it does with representation for Arabs, Muslims, and Ramadan, and where it could have been better. Before that, in...

We are joined by the wonderful Hanna Flint to discuss Wonder Woman 1984 in this special bonus episode! We discuss the various ups and downs of the film, how well we thought the actors did with the script and story they had, and whether this movie did Diana Prince/Wonder Woman justice. We also discuss the racist and Orientalist aspects of its depiction of Egypt and Egyptian people, and how detrimen...

We're back with a LOT to discuss. Joining us is a prolific cosplayer, streamer, and friend, Jasmin! We discuss Jasmin's cosplaying and how the cosplay community has been doing in quarantine. We also discuss the announcement of a queer Ramadan rom-com coming out next month, highlights of the MCU announcements from last week, and how MENA people are WINNING as directors for Ms. Marvel and Moon Knigh...

This month we're joined by filmmaker Shahab Zargari to discuss Netflix's new supernatural series "Paranormal," a supernatural drama set in Egypt, with a story actually told by Egyptians! We're excited to dive into this overall excellent show. We also interview Shahab on his filmmaking career and what drives his art, discuss the roller coaster of recent Arrowverse news and what it says about DCTV m...

This month we're discussing films we watched as part of Washington DC's Arabian Sights Film festival. With films from Palestine, Lebanon, Tunisia, and more, this festival conveys the array of work being done by MENA filmmakers and we are so excited to share our thoughts with all of you! But before that, we discuss the exciting news of DC/Warner Brothers casting Iranian-American actress Sarah Shahi...

We're excited to have on TV writer, blogger, and Star Wars fan Arezou Amin on to discuss the long history of us MENA people being excluded from Science Fiction and Fantasy media. Why are we constantly ousted from stories that were, in fact, inspired by works based on the Middle East and our culture? Where  could  we even find ourselves? We discuss Arezou's project with Postcards from the Galaxy's...

We're starting spooky season a bit early this year with a review of Iranian-American film director Ana Lily Amirpour's 2014 horror classic "A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night." What makes this film so unique in its abstraction and commentary, and how effectively does it pull it off? But before that, we have a heavy news section discussing police violence and brutality in the US, the recent explosion...

We have a PACKED episode this month. After discussing some excellent and exciting MENA entertainment news, Mae and Swara review Netflix's The Old Guard , which is directed by the incredible Gina Prince-Bythewood and stars one of our favorite MENA actors Marwan Kenzari! But before that, we have an open and frank discussion about "cancel culture," why it scares powerful and privileged white people s...

In the first of our interview series, we're joined by Faly Rakotohavana of the upcoming Disney+ film The Secret Society of Second Born Royals ! Faly tells us how he first got into acting on Raven's Home on Disney Channel, Black Lives Matter, and his role as Matteo in The Secret Society of Second Born Royals , which is to debut on Disney+ this September 25th, 2020. Enjoy!   Support Black Lives Matt...

In this episode, we discuss systemic racism, how it crops up in MENA communities, and how we should address it. We discuss why and how Anti-Blackness is pervasive in MENA communities, how we can start important and difficult conversations with friends and family, and how we should show solidarity with the Black community in the fight for racial justice. We're joined by Nawal Rajeh, a community org...