Mr. Gay Syria
Set in Istanbul and Berlin, Mr. Gay Syria follows two gay refugees as they try to rebuild their lives after fleeing the war in Syria. Husein is a 24-year-old barber who escaped to Istanbul with his parents and pregnant wife. Mahmoud is the founder of Syria’s LGBTI movement and a refugee in Germany. He works part time at a NGO helping gay asylum seekers.
What brings them together is a crazy dream: joining the international beauty contest called Mr. Gay World, hosted in Malta. If they manage, it will be the first time an Arab man from the Middle East attends such a public event. For Husein, this is a potential escape to Europe. He yearns to live in a society that accepts him. For Mahmoud, as a gay rights defender, this is the place to generate visibility and launch a campaign for Syrian gay refugees.
While Mr. Gay Syria follows the journey of the two characters and their friends, the beauty contest becomes a thread that weaves together the difficulties of being gay in homophobic societies, the challenges of coming out, the joy of falling in love and the devastating migration crisis.
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projection time:84 min
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country/year:Turkey, France, Germany/2017
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director:
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pictures:Hajo Schomerus, Anne Misselwitz
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production:Les Filmes d'Antoine, Toprak Film, Coin Film
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selected festivals and awards:2017 – IDFA Amsterdam, 2017 – Sheffield Doc/Fest, 2017 – Paris Gay and Lesbian FF: Grand Prix Documentary
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section:
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contest:
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tags:
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