Hiba Bassem
, 2005
, 34 min
Hiba Bassem is a film student from Kirkuk, who returns to Baghdad after the war in order to continue her film studies and films a video diary turned documentary of her experiences. She struggles to find housing, negotiates her feelings about the Iraqi elections, thinks about her relationships, and attempts to find a place in…
Kifayah Saleh
, 12 min
A group of Iraqi artist wanted to establish a cultural center in Baghdad, but plans were continually put off due to war. Finally, the artists decided to set up the Hiwar Centre in an old house in 1992, and it became a meeting place for artists and creatives to talk, leave each other messages, exhibit…
Ahmed Jabbar
, 2007
, 15 min
Dr. Nabil is a surgeon in Baghdad and has stayed to help victims of explosions, kidnappings, and other circumstances during the war of Iraq. Many other doctors have left, for fear of assasination, but Dr. Nabil works through the fear and other setbacks onset by the war in Iraq. Not only is he a surgeon,…
, 11 min
Hiba Bassem contemplates the years of war she has faced through conversations with her family and friends, and through her time spent living at home. She documents the mental and physical exhaustion faced by Iraqis after years of war, reaching everyone, even those as young as her little sisters.
April 2023
Sam Arbor, Naures Sager, Sarah Kaskas, Aziz Zoromba, Karina Dandashi, Dania Bdeir, Adam Ali
ARAB FILM SERIES PRESENTS: WHO WE ARE In honor of Pride Month, the Arab Film Series presents: Who We Are a collection of award-winning short films that highlight the experiences of Queer Arabs around the globe. Each film tells the story of a character whose desire to live authentically comes in conflict with the people and society…
Naures Sager
, 2021
After being brought together by a stolen cape, Habib and his new love interest soon find themselves in a precarious situation, despite their attempts to play it safe. A look at the potential cost of being authentic and finding connection in a sometimes dangerous world.
Sarah Kaskas
, 2022
, 16 min
A year after Beirut’s port explosion, Basma and Mariam reunite in their old bedroom. Surrounded by a view of the port’s remains, the two women attempt to resolve their shared trauma and broken relationship.
Aziz Zoromba
, 2020
, 18 min
After being estranged from his family for his homosexuality, we observe a young Arab man over four seasons and from far away as he navigates his solitude – all the while attempting to reconnect with his mother.
Dania Bdeir
A Syrian migrant working as a crane operator in Beirut volunteers to cover a shift on one of the most dangerous cranes, where he is able to find his freedom.
Adam Ali, Sam Arbor
, 17 min
Rejected by his family for his queerness and oppressed by his country for the same, reckless Libyan teenager “Britannia” gets an interview at the British Embassy, the gateway to his childhood dream of stepping into the pulsing queer world that is Manchester’s Canal Street. Being British and gay is everything he’s ever dreamed of. And…
