BASHTAALAK SA’AT (SHALL I COMPARE YOU TO A SUMMER’S DAY)

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The title of an Egyptian pop song BASHTAALAK SA’AT (‘I miss you sometimes’) and a Shakespearian sonnet SHALL I COMPARE YOU TO A SUMMER’S DAY question the time and space of the narration. A female narrator recounts a meeting between two men. A love story – how does it begin? A look, a smile, a date. Director Mohammad Shawky Hassan reclaims the narration and the story from A Thousand and One Nights, exploring it in the context of a queer love story. This experimental feature film plays with the boundaries of language and cultural traditions. Even before its premiere at the most recent Berlinale, it sparked fierce debate and strong reactions in Egypt.

 

Präsentiert von: WDR Radio COSMO
In cooperation with: SOFRA – Queer Migrants e.V., rubicon e. V.

BASHTAALAK SA’AT (SHALL I COMPARE YOU TO A SUMMER’S DAY) Direction: Mohammad Shawky Hassan, DCP, OF m. engl. UT, 66 min

Guest

Mohammad Shawky Hassan

Mohammad Shawky Hassan is an Egyptian filmmaker and video artist who has been living and working in Berlin since 2019. His film AND ON A DIFFERENT NOTE premiered at the Berlinale in 2015 and was acquired by the New York Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) for its collection. BASHTAALAK SA’AT is Hassan’s first feature film. Mohammad Shawky Hassan says about his film: “The men in these films aren’t victims. They are strong and confident despite their vulnerability. They don’t apologise for being gay and practising their sexuality. They tell their stories in different ways, such as narration, song and conversations, offering an alternative to the prevailing narrative of the gay Arab suffering from repressed sexuality. ”