Short Film Program: Renegotiating Gender Scripts

One Like Him
Caitlin McLoed, Jordan/UK 2022, 16 min. Arabic with English subtitles, DCP

VHS Tape Replaced
Maha Al-Saati, Saudi Arabia 2022, 17 min. Arabic with English subtitles, DCP

Soha
Omar Gabriel, Lebanon 2022, 10 min. Arabic with English subtitles, DCP

Hatef Sada
Anouch Basbous, Lebanon/France 2022, 8 min. Arabic with English subtitles, DCP

My Girl Friend
Kawther Younis, Egypt 2022, 16 min. Arabic with English subtitles, DCP

Warsha
Dania Bdeir, Lebanon 2022, 16 min. Arabic with English subtitles, DCP

The short film program Renegotiating Gender Scripts brings together six shorts that differ  very much in their form and content. From the playful and daring One Like Him directed by Caitlin McLeod and written by Palestinian author Tareq Baconi, to the campy VHS Tape Replaced from the Saudi Arabian filmmaker Maha Al-Saati, or the award-winning chamber piece My Girl Friend by Egyptian director Kawthar Younis, the films of this program question traditional gender identities by presenting queer storylines and protagonists that renegotiate heteronormative gender roles.

Tareq Baconi is a queer Palestinian writer living in London. Tareq is the author of Hamas Contained: The Rise and Pacification of Palestinian Resistance. His writing has appeared in various renowned international magazines and newspapers and he is a frequent commentator in regional and international media.

Caitlin McLeod is a director with over a decade of experience in developing and producing original narrative content. In 2016, Caitlin was a Sky Arts Scholarship Winner and used the grant to found The Coterie - a production company that developed multi-disciplinary projects with women artists at the core.

Anouch Basbous is currently doing her master’s at the Beaux Arts school of Marseille. She directed her first short film Hatef Sada in 2021 in collaboration with Thery Al Alam, a sound artist and musician from Lebanon.

Kawthar Younis is a filmmaker based in Cairo, Egypt. She works as a producer for films, mini series and TV commercials. Kawthar is also co-founder of the film collective Rawiyat - Sisters in Film.