Twin Cities Film Festival kicks off Wednesday with film showcasing Rep. Ilhan Omar

The Twin Cities Film Festival begins Wednesday and Executive Director Jatin Setia can’t wait.

Setia visited Fox 9’s Leah Beno for an interview about the annual film festival and gave a sneak peek of the trailer for the festival’s kickoff film this year, “Time for Ilhan”.

“Time for Ilhan” chronicles the life of State Rep. Ilhan Omar and her rise to political prominence in Minnesota. Omar is now running for Congress in House District 5 in Minnesota this year.

“It’s all about dreaming and what’s possible and that’s what this film is truly all about,” said Setia of “Time for Ilhan”. “The American Dream.”

The film featuring Omar will play on the first day of the festival, which is Wednesday, Oct. 17. However, Setia said the festival’s strength is in its diversity over the 10-day run that ends Oct. 27.

He said guests should ask themselves, “What mood do you want to be in that day?”

Setia also spoke about what makes film festivals unique experiences and differentiates them from seeing films in theaters.

“That’s the difference between going to a movie and going to a film festival,” he said. “The meat and potatoes of any major film festival are the independent films that make everything go. We have about 80 percent of all of our films will be accompanied by an actor, director, somebody from the crew or a subject matter expert so we can have an in-depth discussion after the film and carry that discussion on.”