Mizna
Mizna is a St. Paul-based nonprofit arts organization founded in 1999 that publishes a biannual journal, runs an annual SWANA film festival and quarterly film series, and produces curatorial exhibitions serving Arab/SWANA artists and audiences.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersSaint Paul, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Mizna does
Mizna is a nonprofit arts organization founded in 1999 and based in St. Paul, Minnesota, dedicated to producing, publishing, and presenting contemporary Arab and Southwest Asian/North African (SWANA) literature, film, and visual art. Its core products are a biannual print journal, a digital publishing platform, the annual Twin Cities Arab Film Festival (TCAFF), a quarterly film series programmed with Trylon Cinema, and rotating curatorial exhibitions (including collaborations with SooVAC and Walker Art Center). The organization has featured over 1,000 artists across its programs and serves a community spanning the Twin Cities and an international readership/subscriber base.
The business model is a diversified nonprofit revenue stack. Earned revenue comes from journal sales at $10 per issue with tiered shipping ($5 US, $7.50 Canada, $11.50 international), event ticket sales for film screenings and the festival, and merchandise. Contributed revenue is the larger line, sourced from a roster of regional and national foundations including McKnight, Carolyn, General Mills Foundation, Minnesota State Arts Council, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundations, the F.R. Bigelow Foundation, and Mardag. Distribution is hybrid: physical print and in-person programming for the Twin Cities audience, with a digital platform and international shipping extending reach to a diasporic readership. The organization partners with institutional venues (Trylon Cinema, SooVAC, Walker Art Center, Hennepin Theatre Trust) to extend program capacity without owning venue infrastructure.
Mizna firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mizna
- Legal name
- Mizna
- Website
- https://mizna.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Mizna is a St. Paul-based nonprofit arts organization founded in 1999 that publishes a biannual journal, runs an annual SWANA film festival and quarterly film series, and produces curatorial exhibitions serving Arab/SWANA artists and audiences.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mizna industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Literary Arts & Cultural Publishing
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (513120)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN)
Keywords
Where Mizna is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Saint Paul
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Mizna business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Journal Sales: Sale of print literary and art journals (browsing individual issues and subscriptions)
- Film Festival and Event Tickets: Ticket sales for Twin Cities Arab Film Festival and quarterly film series screenings at Trylon Cinema
- Donations and Grants: Individual donations, organizational sponsorships, and foundation grants supporting nonprofit operations
- Merchandise: Sale of Mizna branded merchandise
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Individual journal issues available for purchase |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual subscription to the print journal |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | US domestic shipping |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Canada shipping |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | International shipping |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Mizna product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mizna is a woman-led nonprofit arts organization that publishes a biannual print literary and art journal featuring Arab and SWANA poetry, prose, and visual art, and operates Mizna Online as a digital platform for literary and multidisciplinary work. It also produces the Twin Cities Arab Film Festival—the largest and longest-running SWANA-centered film festival in the Midwest—and a quarterly Mizna Film Series at Trylon Cinema. The organization curates readings, performances, public art commissions, and community events that have featured over 1,000 local and transnational writers, filmmakers, and artists.
Product overview
Mizna is a woman-led contemporary arts organization that operates a multi-platform portfolio centered on Arab and SWANA (Southwest Asia and North Africa) culture. The core offerings consist of a biannual print literary and art journal (Mizna), a digital platform (Mizna Online), the Twin Cities Arab Film Festival (TCAFF), and a quarterly Mizna Film Series. These products collectively provide publishing, film programming, and community event services to promote experimental approaches to Arab and SWANA literature, film, and art.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Mizna Journal: Biannual print literary and art journal featuring prose, poetry, and visual art exploring Arab and SWANA culture
- Mizna Online
- Twin Cities Arab Film Festival
- Mizna Film Series
Products and services
- Mizna Print Literary and Art Journal A biannual print literary and art journal featuring poetry, prose, hybrid literary work, and visual art by Arab and SWANA artists. Published since 1999 and sold via individual issues ($10/issue) and annual subscriptions.
- Mizna Online A digital platform for literary and multidisciplinary work reflecting critically on current realities of the SWANA region and beyond, publishing poetry, essays, interviews, and digital features.
- Twin Cities Arab Film Festival (TCAFF) The largest and longest-running SWANA-centered film festival in the Midwest, presenting Arab and SWANA cinema with ticketed screenings, filmmaker presentations, and audience engagement at St. Anthony Main Theatre and partner venues.
- Mizna Film Series A quarterly SWANA film series presented in collaboration with Trylon Cinema in Minneapolis, featuring screenings, critical essays, filmmaker interviews, and discussions exploring revolutionary forms of cinema from the SWANA region.
- Events and Public Programs Readings, film series, performances, public art commissions, and community events featuring local and transnational writers, filmmakers, and artists. Mizna has hosted 1,000+ contributors through these programs.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1000+ artists featured through programs and events
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Mizna
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Mizna technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Mizna partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Trylon CinemacoreVenue partner for Mizna Film Series quarterly screenings; films screen exclusively in-person at Trylon Cinema in Minneapolis
- Twin Cities Iranian Culture CollectiveminorCollaboration for 2025 film series presenting Iranian cinema classics
- Soo Visual Arts Center (SooVAC)minorJoint exhibition partnership for 'Let There Be Spaces in Your Togetherness' juried exhibition featuring SWANA artists
- Hennepin Theatre TrustminorPresenting sponsor for 20th anniversary benefit event; venue partner for events
- Holyland RestaurantminorPresenting sponsor for 20th anniversary benefit event
- Walker Art CenterminorVenue partner for Twin Cities Arab Film Festival screenings (16th festival opened at Walker Art Center in 2022)
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Mizna competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Words Without Borders: Online literary magazine publishing translated writing from around the world. Comparable as a digital literary publishing platform with a global editorial mission and contributor-driven model.
- ArteEast: Organization supporting contemporary Arab and SWANA art and media through programming and distribution. Comparable in mission and audience overlap, though broader in scope than Mizna's journal-and-festival focus.
- The Paris Review: Long-running quarterly literary magazine publishing fiction, poetry, and interviews. Comparable as an established literary periodical with subscription, retail, and event revenue — a useful model benchmark, though with a broader editorial scope.
- Asymptote Journal: International literary translation journal publishing poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Comparable as a periodical literary publisher with a global contributor base, though not SWANA-specific.
Direct peers
- Jadaliyya: An e-zine and publication platform covering Arab world politics, culture, and society. Highly comparable as a SWANA-focused, multi-format editorial platform with a journal-like publishing cadence.
- Boston Palestine Film Festival: Annual SWANA-focused film festival in Boston showcasing Palestinian and Arab cinema. Comparable to TCAFF in audience development, mission, and festival-format operations.
- Arab Film Festival: Long-running Arab/SWANA-centered film festival based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Directly comparable as a regional Arab film festival with year-round programming and filmmaker engagement.
- The Markaz Review: Online literary and arts publication focused on SWANA/Middle Eastern writing and culture. Directly comparable to Mizna in mission, subject-matter niche, and digital-first literary publishing model.
- Bidoun Magazine: A magazine and arts organization focused on Middle Eastern art and culture. Comparable in its hybrid print/digital literary-arts publishing model and SWANA curatorial focus.
Regional players
- DC Palestine Film Festival: Annual film festival in Washington, D.C. showcasing Palestinian cinema. Comparable to Mizna's TCAFF in SWANA film programming, but operating in a distinct geographic market.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Mizna social profiles
Digital presenceMizna financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mizna leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Mizna funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mizna M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Mizna
What does Mizna do?
Mizna is a woman-led nonprofit arts organization that publishes a biannual print literary and art journal featuring Arab and SWANA poetry, prose, and visual art, and operates Mizna Online as a digital platform for literary and multidisciplinary work. It also produces the Twin Cities Arab Film Festival—the largest and longest-running SWANA-centered film festival in the Midwest—and a quarterly Mizna Film Series at Trylon Cinema. The organization curates readings, performances, public art commissions, and community events that have featured over 1,000 local and transnational writers, filmmakers, and artists.
Is Mizna a public or private company?
Mizna is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Mizna founded?
Mizna was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Mizna based?
Mizna is headquartered in Saint Paul, United States, in the North America region.
How does Mizna make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Journal Sales are the primary driver. The others are film Festival and Event Tickets, donations and Grants and merchandise.
Who are Mizna's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Words Without Borders, ArteEast, The Paris Review and Asymptote Journal. Direct peers are Jadaliyya, Boston Palestine Film Festival, Arab Film Festival, The Markaz Review and Bidoun Magazine. DC Palestine Film Festival is listed as a regional player.
Does Mizna have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mizna.
What industry is Mizna in?
Mizna's product category is Literary Arts & Cultural Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAEAN, Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines. Its NAICS code is 513120 and its SIC code is 2721.