The Middle Geeks

Hard NOC Media
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Mae and Swara are two writers and geeks of West Asian (IE Middle Eastern) descent who discuss and review all things Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA, ie "MENA") representation each month, along with other entertainment topics. Come join us as we highlight positive depictions of SWANA people in popular media, review the latest popular releases, and just have a fun time nerding out. Follow us @TheMiddleGeeks, @MaeAbdu, @spiderswarz

  1. 27. JAN.

    Episode 76: SWANA Oscar Nominations and Awesome Con 2026 Announcement

    Happy(ish?) New Year! We're back with a discussion on the 2025 Oscar Nominations and the groundbreaking Palestinian, Iranian, and Moroccan films that were nominated. The Palestinian and Tunisian The Voice of Hind Rajab, the Iranian and French It Was Just an Accident, and the Moroccan and Spanish Sirat each received a nomination for Best International Feature, while writer-director of It Was Just an Accident Jafar Panahi received a nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Covering genocide, oppression, and so much more, so much of SWANA set filmmaking is tragic, but the filmmakers always make powerful art to memorialize and honor our various struggles. Congratulations to all the filmmakers. We also have an exciting update about our panel return to this year's Awesome Con, March 13-15, in DC!   Swara's review of The Voice of Hind Rajab for But Why Tho?   Donate to Anera, UNRWA, and The Sameer Project Decolonize Palestine Donate to help Sudan Support the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) and families in Gaza Islamic Relief USA: Support Families in Palestine Our music is composed by Ashley Hefnawy. You can find more of her music here. We are a proud member of the Hard NOC podcast family.   Follow us on BlueSky @MaeAbdu, @spiderswarz Subscribe to The Middle Geeks on Hard NOC Media Please support us on Patreon!

    40 Min.

  2. 22.11.2025

    Episode 75: "Wicked: For Good" and Fighting for a Cause

    What will one sacrifice for a greater cause? How do we fight overwhelming systems of oppression? Does working within a corrupt system work, or do we need to tear it all down? Wicked: For Good explores these questions in great depth, with stunning performances from Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Marissa Bode, Michelle Yeoh, and more. We review the film, decipher what it has to say about the above questions, give our recommendations, and much more.   Donate to Anera, UNRWA, and The Sameer Project Decolonize Palestine Donate to help Sudan Support the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) and families in Gaza Islamic Relief USA: Support Families in Palestine   Our music is composed by Ashley Hefnawy. You can find more of her music here. We are a proud member of the Hard NOC podcast family.   Follow us on Twitter: @TheMiddleGeeks, Follow us on BlueSky @MaeAbdu, @spiderswarz Subscribe to The Middle Geeks on Hard NOC Media Please support us on Patreon!

    1 Std. 2 Min.

  3. 23.09.2025

    Episode 74: 'Palestine 36' Review and the Echoes of the Past

    The more things change, the more they stay the same. This is a reverberating ethos through Palestinian director Annemarie Jacir's latest film, Palestine 36, which chronicles the last days of the British Mandate of Palestine and its lasting ramifications. Produced by Philistine Films, BBC Film, BFI, Doha Film Institute, Watermelon Pictures and more, and starring Hiam Abbass, Yasmine Al Massri, Saleh Bakri, Jeremy Irons, Robert Aramayo of The Rings of Power, Liam Cunningham of Game of Thrones, Karim Daoud Anaya, and others, the film details the violent colonization of Palestine that violently continues to today. Why does such colonization happen? What are the societal, capitalistic, and manipulative tactics employed? What does Palestine 36 have to teach us for today's many challenges? Join us in our discussion of this urgently timely film.   Donate to Anera, UNRWA, and The Sameer Project Decolonize Palestine Donate to help Sudanese people feeling geopolitical violence Support the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) and families in Gaza Islamic Relief USA: Support Families in Palestine Our music is composed by Ashley Hefnawy. You can find more of her music here. We are a proud member of the Hard NOC podcast family. Follow us on Twitter: @TheMiddleGeeks Follow Swara on Bluesky @spiderswarz.bsky.social Subscribe to The Middle Geeks on Hard NOC Media Please support us on Patreon!

    42 Min.

  4. 08.05.2025

    Episode 73: '#1 Happy Family USA' Review

    The Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy, American Dad, and more all-American animated adult tv comedies have graced our screens for decades, mercilessly interrogating the all-American life and if it's all it's cracked up to be. But rarely do we get one of these series from an Arab and Muslim perspective, until now with Ramy Youssef and Pam Brady's #1 Happy Family USA, featuring the Egyptian-American Hussein family, including young insecure Rumi (Ramy Youssef), his wildly insecure father Hussein (also Ramy Youssef), his caring and overburdened mother Sharia (Salma Hindy), overachieving and closeted older sister Mona (Alia Shawkat), conservative Grandpa (Azhar Usman), and niqabi and free-spirited Grandma (Randa Jarrar). Set in the early 2000s in New Jersey, right around an astronomically horrible national event, we watch the Hussein family deal with the outlandish racism, surveillance, and Islamophobia every single day, and their own outlandish efforts to deal with it. All characters and the animation style were designed by Iraqi-British data journalist Mona Chalabi. Joined by our friend Nadia Osman, we discuss the series and why it's a landmark for SWANA and Muslim representation, the great casting news about Lee Cronin's The Mummy, give our recommendations, and much more.   Spoilers for all of #1 Happy Family USA throughout   Donate to Anera  Donate to help Sudanese people feeling geopolitical violence Support the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) and families in Gaza Islamic Relief USA: Support Families in Palestine   Our music is composed by Ashley Hefnawy. You can find more of her music here. We are a proud member of the Hard NOC podcast family. Swara's interview with Nadia and Ali Nasser on Lee Cronin's The Mummy Follow Nadia on BlueSky @msnadiaosman.bsky.social Follow us on Twitter: @TheMiddleGeeks Subscribe to The Middle Geeks on Hard NOC Media Please support us on Patreon!

    1 Std. 26 Min.

  5. 03.04.2025

    Episode 72: "Leila and the Wolves" Review

    In Heiny Srour's 1984 film Leila and the Wolves, Leila and her husband live in London, and are making an exhibit on popular movements in Lebanon and Palestine. However, her husband has conveniently forgotten to include women in these movements. We then follow Leila traversing through history, learning the intricacies of the lives of these various women, and what drove them to resist for their peoples. We discuss and review the film, reflect on the news of today and how we find hope, give our recommendations, and much more.   Donate to Anera  Donate to help Sudanese people feeling geopolitical violence Support the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) and families in Gaza Islamic Relief USA: Support Families in Palestine Our music is composed by Ashley Hefnawy. You can find more of her music here. We are a proud member of the Hard NOC podcast family. Follow us on Twitter: @TheMiddleGeeks Follow Swara on Bluesky @spiderswarz.bsky.social Subscribe to The Middle Geeks on Hard NOC Media Please support us on Patreon!

    34 Min.

  6. 14.02.2025

    Episode 71: 'Mo' Season 2 Review

    Mo Season 2 comes three years after its first, and so much has changed for Palestine in the real world. Yet Mo Amer and his team keep Season 2 directly after the first, honing in on Mo Najjar's personal journey that so reflects Mo Amer's own family refugee story in Texas. Our friends Tariq Ra'ouf and Kate Sánchez of But Why Tho? join us to discuss Season 2, how well it does at portraying Texas and the Palestinian experience, why the series is so cathartic right now, and much more.   Follow Tariq on Instagram @tariq_raouf Follow Kate on BlueSky @ohmymithrandir.bsky.social Follow us on Twitter: @TheMiddleGeeks Follow Swara on Bluesky @spiderswarz.bsky.social   Tariq's interview with AJ+ Kate's review of Mo Season 2 Swara's piece for The New Arab on food sovereignty   Donate to Anera to help Lebanon Donate to Oxfam's Lebanon Appeal Donate to Baitulmaal's Lebanon aid Decolonize Palestine Donate to help Sudanese people feeling geopolitical violence Support the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) and families in Gaza Islamic Relief USA: Support Families in Palestine   Our music is composed by Ashley Hefnawy. You can find more of her music here. We are a proud member of the Hard NOC podcast family. Subscribe to The Middle Geeks on Hard NOC Media Please support us on Patreon!

    1 Std. 34 Min.

  7. 31.12.2024

    Episode 70: "From Ground Zero" and 2024 in Review

    As the genocide in Gaza tragically continues, so does Palestinian resilience and resistance, including and especially in artistry and cinema. Now set to release nationwide in theaters January 3rd, via Watermelon Pictures, with legendary director Michael Moore as its executive producer, From Ground Zero, a compilation of 22 documentaries from Gaza and directed by Rashid Masharawi, is making more and more waves. Palestinian activist and writer Andrew Kadi joins us to review the documentary, give reflections on the state of Palestinian activism and filmmaking in 2024 and beyond, and much more in our wide-ranging discussion.   Follow Andrew on Bluesky @imak48.bsky.social and Twitter @imAK48   Our music is composed by Ashley Hefnawy. You can find more of her music here.   We are a proud member of the Hard NOC podcast family.   Swara's piece for The New Arab: Key moments and themes from the 2024 DC Palestinian Film and Arts Festival   Donate to Anera to help Lebanon Donate to Oxfam's Lebanon Appeal Donate to Baitulmaal's Lebanon aid Decolonize Palestine Donate to help Sudanese people feeling geopolitical violence Support the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) and families in Gaza Islamic Relief USA: Support Families in Palestine   Follow us on Twitter: @TheMiddleGeeks Follow Swara on Bluesky @spiderswarz.bsky.social Subscribe to The Middle Geeks on Hard NOC Media Please support us on Patreon!

    1 Std. 17 Min.

  8. 30.11.2024

    The Middle Geeks Episode 69: Jaylee Hamidi on their Career and "How to Die Alone"

    Jaylee Hamidi (they/she) has made significant history in their supporting role on Nathasha Rothwell's Hulu series How to Die Alone as "Allie." A queer, Kurdish-Iranian-Chinese actor, Hamidi has made history as one of the first major Kurdish actors in a major network show, getting to showcase some of her culture and providing groundbreaking representation for Kurds and Iranians who rarely see themselves. We discuss Hamidi's role on the show, working with Natasha Rothwell, their unique cultural standing in the entertainment industry, and much more.   Follow Jaylee on Instagram @JayleeHamidi. Our music is composed by Ashley Hefnawy. You can find more of her music here. We are a proud member of the Hard NOC podcast family. Follow us on Twitter: @TheMiddleGeeks, @MaeAbdu Follow Swara on Bluesky @spiderswarz.bsky.social Subscribe to The Middle Geeks on Hard NOC Media Please support us on Patreon!

    43 Min.
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Info

Mae and Swara are two writers and geeks of West Asian (IE Middle Eastern) descent who discuss and review all things Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA, ie "MENA") representation each month, along with other entertainment topics. Come join us as we highlight positive depictions of SWANA people in popular media, review the latest popular releases, and just have a fun time nerding out. Follow us @TheMiddleGeeks, @MaeAbdu, @spiderswarz

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