Mawjoudin Queer Film Festival

The Mawjoudin Queer Film Festival (Arabic: مهرجان موجودين للأفلام الكويرية, romanized: mahrajān Mawjūdīn li-l-aflām al-kwīriyya) is an annual film festival in Tunisia celebrating the LGBT community. It began in 2018, as the first queer film festival in the country and all of North Africa.[1][2][3] It is organized by Mawjoudin, a Tunisian NGO whose name translates to "[we] exist".[1] The focus is on queer identities, especially in people from the Global South.[4]

Mawjoudin Queer Film Festival
مهرجان موجودين للأفلام الكويرية
Location(s)Tunis, Tunisia
CountryTunisia
Founded2018
FoundersMawjoudin
Websitequeerfilmfestival.mawjoudin.org

Motivation

The festival aims to create a space for queer people that is neither heteronormative nor homophobic. Because of security reasons, the location of the festival is not disclosed; people interested in participating in the festival first need to get in contact with the organizers.[5]

The organizers see the festival as a form of activism: "We are trying to fight not only in the courts but through art."[1]

History

First edition
Bracelets from the 2019 Mawjoudin Queer Film Festival

The first festival took place from January 15–18, 2018. It received funding support from the Hirschfeld Eddy Foundation.[6] Major themes were gender and non-heteronormative sexuality.[2] In addition to showing 12 short- and medium-length films,[7] the festival included concerts, debates, and the panel discussions "Queer as Art" and "Queer as Resistance".[2][8]

Second edition

The second edition of the festival was March 22–25, 2019, in downtown Tunis.[9][10] The 2019 festival aimed to cover the full LGBTQI spectrum, and have a strong focus on feminism. A total of 31 films were shown, including Argentinian, Chinese, Indian, Kenyan, Pakistani, Portuguese, and Tunisian films.[5][10] In addition to films, there were performances, debates, and a theater workshop entitled "Towards a Queer Theater".[5]

Third edition

The third edition of the festival planned between the 20th and 23 March 2020[11] was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Poster of the first edition in 2018
    Poster of the first edition in 2018
  • Poster of the second edition in 2019
    Poster of the second edition in 2019
  • Official mascot of the festival
    Official mascot of the festival

Films

At the 2018 festival, "Upon The Shadow" was screened on the opening day. The film is a Tunisian docudrama by Nada Mezni Hafaiedh,[7] which received recognition at the Carthage Film Festival.[2]

Films screened during the festival in 2019 include:[10][12]

  • "Extravaganza", a Chinese documentary by Matthew Baren
  • "Rafiki", a Kenyan film by Wanuri Kahiu
  • "Sisak", a silent short film by Faraz Arif Ansari
  • "Today Match at Three", an Argentinian film by Clarisa Navas about women's football in the wake of the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup
  • "Travesty", a documentary by Safwen Abdellali that follows the story of a transgender person
  • "A Tribord, Je Vomis", by Tarek Sardi, co-produced by festival organizers Mawjoudin
  • "Ymin el Baccouche", by Tarek Sardi, which denounces biphobia

See also

References
  1. "Tunisia 'queer film festival' seeks to make a difference". News24. January 17, 2018. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  2. Anissa Mahdaoui (January 11, 2018). "L'association tunisienne "Mawjoudin" lance le premier festival traitant des genres et de la sexualité non normative de la région MENA" [The Tunisian association "Mawjoudin" launches the first festival dealing with gender and non-normative sexuality in the MENA region] (in French). HuffPost Tunisie. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  3. "Reportage Afrique - Mawjoudin Queer Film Festival: le premier festival de cinéma LGBT en Tunisie". RFI (in French). February 20, 2018. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  4. "Mawjoudin Queer Film Festival". Radical Film Network. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  5. "Mawjoudin Queer Film Festival : Le cinéma comme arme de résistance" [Mawjoudin Queer Film Festival: Cinema as a Weapon of Resistance] (in French). Kapitalis. March 16, 2019. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  6. "L'association Mawjoudin lance le premier festival Queer en Tunisie" [The Mawjoudin association launches the first Queer festival in Tunisia] (in French). Kapitalis. January 11, 2018. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  7. Colin Steward (January 23, 2018). "Tunisia gets its first queer film festival". 76crimes.com. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  8. "L'association Mawjoudin lance son 1er Queer Film Festival du 15 au 18 janvier" [The Mawjoudin association launches its 1st Queer Film Festival from January 15 to 18] (in French). tekiano. January 12, 2018. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  9. "Majowdin Queer Film Festival". Archived from the original on May 16, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  10. "Mawjoudin Queer Film Festival: Tunis célèbre la culture inclusive" [Mawjoudin Queer Film Festival: Tunis Celebrates Inclusive Culture] (in French). HuffPost Maghreb. March 21, 2019. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  11. "Mawjoudin Queer film festival". Archived from the original on April 6, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  12. "2e édition de Mawjoudin Queer Film Festival, du 22 au 25 mars à Tunis" [2nd edition of Mawjoudin Queer Film Festival, March 22–25 in Tunis]. femmesdetunisie.com (in French). March 21, 2019. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
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