The murder last month of a transgender woman in Iraqi Kurdistan by her brother in a so-called honor killing underlines the impunity faced by the LGBT community in Iraq’s Kurdistan region and beyond. Community activists say the government does nothing to protect them and that security officials who are responsible for their safety are among those who endorse violence against them. Zhiar Ali, a leading advocate for the community, was forced to flee to Europe after facing repeated threats. With no laws to protect him and hostility against LGBT people deeply engrained they face an uphill struggle. But they won’t give up.
Episode Number
91
Egyptians outraged over movie depicting gay couple
An Egyptian-German-Lebanese-produced movie recently screened at the 72nd Berlin Film Festival has sparked outcry in Egypt for depicting homosexuality.
A scene from the film "Bashtaalak Sa'at"
("Shall I Compare You to a Summer's Day?"). - Twitter
Ahmed Gomaa
TOPICS COVERED
Art and entertainment
February 23, 2022 —
CAIRO — “Bashtaalak Sa'at” ("Shall I Compare You to a Summer's Day?") was screened at the 72nd Berlin Film Festival Feb. 11-20.
The movie stirred huge outcry among the public and critics in Egypt, as it delves into homosexuality in Arab societies.
According to the official Berlin Film Festival website, the movie was written and directed by Egyptian director Mohammad Shawky Hassan through a joint Egyptian-Lebanese-German production. It stars a number of Egyptian artists such as Ahmed El-Gendy and Donia Massoud.
In the movie, Hassan used a mixture of Arab folk tales and heritage stories to portray a love story between two men.
In statements to Al-Watan newspaper Feb. 15, Omar Abdel Aziz, head of Egypt’s Federation of Artistic Syndicates, lashed out at the movie for contradicting the values of Arab societies.
In the midst of the controversy, Fi al-Fan website quoted sources as saying that “the film will not be screened in Egypt for several reasons. The first is the unwillingness of production authorities to [cooperate] with the regulatory agencies in Egypt, especially since the film includes a large number of intimacy and sexuality scenes between male actors, which is inconsistent with Egyptian censorship laws. The second reason is that the film was primarily made for screening at film festivals.”
Tarek al-Shennawy, a professor of art criticism at the Higher Institute of Art Criticism - Academy of Arts, denounced the attack on the film that was not screened in Egypt. “No one can judge a work of art without seeing it first. It is unacceptable to take any stance on a movie based on talks on social networking sites or newspaper articles,” he told Al-Monitor.
Shennawy, who participated in the 72nd Berlin Film Festival, explained, “The official documents of the festival indicated that the film is Egyptian because of the nationality of its director, but the film is technically attributed to its production entity, which is an Egyptian, Lebanese and German production. This was the case of the film 'Al-Qadisiyah,' which was produced by Iraq’s Cinema and Theater Department in 1981. Although featuring a large number of Egyptian artists and directed by Egyptian director Salah Abu Seif, 'Al-Qadisiyah' was considered an Iraqi film based on the nationality of its production entity.”
He pointed out that “Bashtaalak Sa’at" raised controversy in Egypt because some view this type of film through an ethical lens; others, he added, fear that there is a plot to promote films featuring homosexuality. In all cases, he said, "To be fair, a movie must be seen before being criticized.”
Shennawy noted that there is an increase in the production of films that deal with homosexuality. “Some productions on Netflix deal with this issue, but there is no plan to promote sexuality.”
He added, “In the Arab world, films discussing homosexuality are judged from a moral angle, away from the content of the artwork, while in the European world this would not raise such a fuss. The issue would not be discussed from a religious aspect. This is due to the difference between the two cultures.”
Some of the hostile reactions to “Bashtaklak Sa’at” went too far. Egyptian lawyer Ayman Mahfouz demanded Egyptian authorities strip director Hassan, who lives in Germany, of his Egyptian nationality for promoting homosexuality.
“The demand to revoke the Egyptian nationality of the film’s director is somewhat strange, as the movie was not even shown in Egypt. Judging a movie without seeing it reflects a cultural vacuum in Egyptian society,” Nader Adly, an art critic for several Egyptian newspapers, told Al-Monitor.
Adly added, “Some extremist currents are trying to undermine all the great strides achieved in the art world. Weeks ago, the Arabic version of the film "Perfect Strangers" ("As-hab wala A'az") stirred outrage in Egypt, especially the role played by artist Mona Zaki. This was blown out of proportion. Artwork must be judged objectively.”
The uproar over "Bashtaalak Sa'at" flared up even as the national controversy stirred by "As-hab wala A'az" has yet to subside. The latter was bombarded with accusations of promoting homosexuality and departing from the conservative values of the Arab world.
Journalist and film critic Magda Khairallah concurs with Adly. “Egyptian authorities do not have the right to censor 'Bashtaalak Sa'at' since it is not an Egyptian production and is not shown inside the country,” she told Al-Monitor.
Khairallah argued that the fierce attack on the film in Egypt without watching it is a manifestation of extremism. “The film does not represent Egypt officially at the Berlin Festival. The only issue is that it has an independent Egyptian director. This film does not affect Egyptian society and its morals,” she concluded.
Ahmed Gomaa
TOPICS COVERED
Art and entertainment
February 23, 2022 —
CAIRO — “Bashtaalak Sa'at” ("Shall I Compare You to a Summer's Day?") was screened at the 72nd Berlin Film Festival Feb. 11-20.
The movie stirred huge outcry among the public and critics in Egypt, as it delves into homosexuality in Arab societies.
According to the official Berlin Film Festival website, the movie was written and directed by Egyptian director Mohammad Shawky Hassan through a joint Egyptian-Lebanese-German production. It stars a number of Egyptian artists such as Ahmed El-Gendy and Donia Massoud.
In the movie, Hassan used a mixture of Arab folk tales and heritage stories to portray a love story between two men.
In statements to Al-Watan newspaper Feb. 15, Omar Abdel Aziz, head of Egypt’s Federation of Artistic Syndicates, lashed out at the movie for contradicting the values of Arab societies.
In the midst of the controversy, Fi al-Fan website quoted sources as saying that “the film will not be screened in Egypt for several reasons. The first is the unwillingness of production authorities to [cooperate] with the regulatory agencies in Egypt, especially since the film includes a large number of intimacy and sexuality scenes between male actors, which is inconsistent with Egyptian censorship laws. The second reason is that the film was primarily made for screening at film festivals.”
Tarek al-Shennawy, a professor of art criticism at the Higher Institute of Art Criticism - Academy of Arts, denounced the attack on the film that was not screened in Egypt. “No one can judge a work of art without seeing it first. It is unacceptable to take any stance on a movie based on talks on social networking sites or newspaper articles,” he told Al-Monitor.
Shennawy, who participated in the 72nd Berlin Film Festival, explained, “The official documents of the festival indicated that the film is Egyptian because of the nationality of its director, but the film is technically attributed to its production entity, which is an Egyptian, Lebanese and German production. This was the case of the film 'Al-Qadisiyah,' which was produced by Iraq’s Cinema and Theater Department in 1981. Although featuring a large number of Egyptian artists and directed by Egyptian director Salah Abu Seif, 'Al-Qadisiyah' was considered an Iraqi film based on the nationality of its production entity.”
He pointed out that “Bashtaalak Sa’at" raised controversy in Egypt because some view this type of film through an ethical lens; others, he added, fear that there is a plot to promote films featuring homosexuality. In all cases, he said, "To be fair, a movie must be seen before being criticized.”
Shennawy noted that there is an increase in the production of films that deal with homosexuality. “Some productions on Netflix deal with this issue, but there is no plan to promote sexuality.”
He added, “In the Arab world, films discussing homosexuality are judged from a moral angle, away from the content of the artwork, while in the European world this would not raise such a fuss. The issue would not be discussed from a religious aspect. This is due to the difference between the two cultures.”
Some of the hostile reactions to “Bashtaklak Sa’at” went too far. Egyptian lawyer Ayman Mahfouz demanded Egyptian authorities strip director Hassan, who lives in Germany, of his Egyptian nationality for promoting homosexuality.
“The demand to revoke the Egyptian nationality of the film’s director is somewhat strange, as the movie was not even shown in Egypt. Judging a movie without seeing it reflects a cultural vacuum in Egyptian society,” Nader Adly, an art critic for several Egyptian newspapers, told Al-Monitor.
Adly added, “Some extremist currents are trying to undermine all the great strides achieved in the art world. Weeks ago, the Arabic version of the film "Perfect Strangers" ("As-hab wala A'az") stirred outrage in Egypt, especially the role played by artist Mona Zaki. This was blown out of proportion. Artwork must be judged objectively.”
The uproar over "Bashtaalak Sa'at" flared up even as the national controversy stirred by "As-hab wala A'az" has yet to subside. The latter was bombarded with accusations of promoting homosexuality and departing from the conservative values of the Arab world.
Journalist and film critic Magda Khairallah concurs with Adly. “Egyptian authorities do not have the right to censor 'Bashtaalak Sa'at' since it is not an Egyptian production and is not shown inside the country,” she told Al-Monitor.
Khairallah argued that the fierce attack on the film in Egypt without watching it is a manifestation of extremism. “The film does not represent Egypt officially at the Berlin Festival. The only issue is that it has an independent Egyptian director. This film does not affect Egyptian society and its morals,” she concluded.
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