DOCUMENTARY
PANORA 11 APRIL 18.30
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Director: Ayse Toprak Country: France, Turkey, Germany Year: 2017 Runtime: 88 minutes Language: Arabic Subtitles: English Genre: Documentary

Twenty-four-year-old Husein is from Syria. As a refugee, he waits in
Istanbul for possible placement somewhere in Europe. Married with a young daughter, he also carries a big secret: his homosexuality. He must hide his sexual orientation from his conservative family, but he can be himself with his friends in Istanbul’s tight-knit gay community.

To bring attention to homosexuality among Syrians, he decides to
compete in the Mr. Gay Syria pageant. His emotional performance of a letter to his mother wins him the title. He is then invited to compete for Mr. Gay World in Malta—as long as he can secure a visa.
These young gay men in Istanbul live under constant tension:
between hoping for a future with a permit to live in a safe European
country, and wrestling with the values of their traditional backgrounds. Regardless, this intimate portrait is filled with love and life.

Original title: Mr. Gay Syria Screenplay: Ayse Toprak Producer: Antoine Simkine, Ekin Calisir, Christine Kiauk Sales: Taskovski Films