Filmmaker Abdullah Al Kaabi describes their relationship as one of “alternative love” and says he set out to make a movie that opens minds and dialogue in the Arab Gulf. The movie, by filmmaker Abdallah Al Kaabi, also reveals its central male character to be struggling with his masculinity and gender. Al Kaabi says he believes the film’s handling of homosexuality and gender identity helped propel it to the big screen. “My pastime was to travel and dream through movies so I was watching a lot of Hollywood movies, Egyptian movies and Bollywood movies,” he said. Across the Gulf, there are varying degrees of censorship and support for independent filmmakers like Al Kaabi.

Source: Washington Post August 27, 2017 06:11 UTC