Language: English (mozilla)
Courage is an experimental short film comprised of eight (8) acts written by Dayna Ash, and directed by Malak Mroueh that tackles identity, freedom, and queer being in the Middle East, where the dominating discourse aims to dim and erase their existence.
The "closet" is portrayed as a labyrinth of societal norms and traditions that bodies must navigate to survive, rendering coming out and the spectrum in-between as equally courageous and bold acts. The production of such a film in the Middle East is in and of itself an act of resistance. With the social and systematic persecution of LGBTQI individuals, the variables of coming out are not simply based on the acceptance of the family and friends; but are accompanied by fear of intolerance and violence manifested through formal authorities and informal traditional norms.
The dominating discourse is one that promotes coming out of the closet as the desired goal for LGTBQI individuals, to the exclusion of those, who through a courageous act themselves, do not come out. Their life is not framed by the reality of a closet, instead, they use other cultural frameworks to construct their queer reality. Courage engages with what it means to live a queer existence in the Middle East.
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What happens after MozFest? We're hoping that many efforts and discussions will continue after MozFest. Share any ideas you already have for how to continue the work from your session.:n/a
What language would you like to host your session in?:English, Dutch, French, Other