Queer Arab love stories are brought to life in Egyptian film director Mohammad Shawky Hassan’s colourful new film, Bashtaalak Sa’at (Shall I Compare You to a Summer’s Day?).  A lively, handsome group of young queer Arab men, mostly Egyptian and Lebanese, and clad just in their underwear or less, recount their tales of love and lust amongst each other using a variety of inspired means including Arabic poetry, animation, beautiful vocal harmonies, and naked re-enactments. The result is an entertaining, playful portrayal of modern queer life and love in the eastern Mediterranean – contemporary pop culture presented with a nod to traditional Arabic storytelling. 

The lyrics and prose are candid and focus on both the positive and negative sides of online hook-ups, threesomes, open relationships, queer love, and lust. Sometimes the men talk directly to the camera, sometimes to each other and some dialogue is presented as a voiceover. The stories are sexy, heart-warming, often funny, and sometimes sad. We are encouraged to consider how we talk about love, what do we remember, what do we forget? A modern-day queer version of the classic collection of Middle Eastern folk tales, ‘One Thousand and One Nights’. This is a film about the beauty of language and story-telling, combining Arabic and English language and mixing high and low art. The vocal content is so strong that the film would work equally well presented as a radio show. Very different, clever, and entertaining. It’s refreshing to have queer Arab stories told in such a positive light.

PS, The film is screening at Miami's OUTSHINE Film Fest, Chicago's REELING Fest,  and NY"s NEWFEST etc 

 

 

Queerguru’s Contributing Editor Ris Fatah is a successful fashion/luxury business consultant  (when he can be bothered) who divides and wastes his time between London and Ibiza. He is a lover of all things queer, feminist, and human rights in general. @ris.fatah