QUEER AND TRANS MUSLIM CINEMA

When pembe founder Hasret Emine started researching queer and trans muslim stories in cinema, they quickly determined that they’re barely visible on the big screen: why is it that these stories aren’t more widely known when there’s so many different stories out there?
Wednesday** 26 November** pembe will present their research findings in WORM, starting with a performance by artist Khaddouja Barghout, and ending with a screening of Shall I Compare You to a Summer’s Day? (2022, Mohammad Shawky Hassan).

Shall I Compare You to a Summer’s Day?
"Shall I Compare You to a Summer’s Day?" is a contemporary queer musical taking Arab folktales as its formal reference and Egyptian & Lebanese pop music as its primary sonic material. The film is based on the filmmaker’s personal love diary and told in the form of a One Thousand and One Nights tale, where stories playfully unfold through conversations between Shahrazad, ghosts of former lovers and a narrator who never comes into view.
Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5aK0MchKyg

Mohammad Shawky Hassan is an Egyptian filmmaker, writer and video artist living and working in Berlin. His video “And on a Different Note” was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York as part of its permanent collection in 2016, and his first feature-length film "Shall I Compare You to a Summer’s Day?" premiered at the Berlinale Forum in 2022.

Khaddouj Barghout‘s main focus is currently on painting, drawing, performance and tattoo art. While learning from old masters, she manages to use traditional technique’s for tantalizing contemporary art. Her work explores themes of oppression, liberation and sensuality, often through a surreal lens. The human body is a central subject in her art, appearing in a constant state of metamorphosis, shifting between organic forms. Within this fluid, dreamlike world, she delves into the tensions between purity and vulgarity, grace and depravity. This creates an interplay between horror and desire, where detailed imagery pulls you into a space of contradiction and complexity. Despite the amorous nature of her work, there is a subtle wit that runs through her pieces, inviting viewers to engage with both the beauty and discomfort present in her art.

Cineville valid at the door and online on the day itself!