26th Arab Film Festival Shorts: Queer Lens

AFMI’s annual Queer Lens program celebrates the multi-dimensional formations of Arab queerness in stories that so urgently need to be told, especially in today’s polarized media climate that leaves issues of visibility lost in the haze, or, worse: cast in a one-size-fits-all “Western Queer Narrative” that ignores the many complexities and nuances faced by LGBTQ+ persons in the Arab World and beyond.

This year’s program theme is Diaspora & Displacement and features 5 award-winning short films that highlight the experiences of Queer Arabs around the globe. The characters in these stories all find themselves at the intersection of their identities. Some must reconcile the reality of their sexuality with a family who loves but does not understand, others work towards a life lived authentically in a society that does not accept them and a few explore leaving a place that is not safe even though it means letting go of those they care about. In this collection, audiences will find stories that may be unique in their details but are deeply relatable at their core and despite the difficulties, celebrate honesty and love.

Join us after the screening for Arab + Queer + Film: between here and there a conversation with four of the filmmakers in the Queer Lens program.

This program includes the following films:

Habib & the Thief (Sweden) dir. Naures Sager

The Window (Lebanon) dir. Sarah Kaskas

Faraway (Canada) dir. Aziz Zoromba

Dress Up (United States) dir. Karina Dandashi

Warsha (Lebanon) dir. Dania Bdeir