Mr. Gay Syria

Ayşe Toprak's documentary Mr. Gay Syria tells the story of two gay Syrian men trying to rebuild their lives in a foreign country after being forced to leave their homeland.

Husein, a barber in Istanbul, leads a double life between his conservative family and his gay identity. Mahmoud co-founded the Syrian LGBT movement and lives as a refugee in Berlin. What unites the two is a dream: to participate in an international talent competition, as a way out of the confines of their existences, as well as a response to their invisibility. Because yes, gay life does exist in Syria, despite all the repression. Will the dream come true? Or will it shatter because of the refugee crisis and the brutal consequences of being gay in the Muslim world?

“These guys love laughing, they love life, and love having fun even though they are surrounded by so much tragedy. Half of them are sex workers, they have family stuck in Syria, they live in a terrible time – probably as bad as it gets. But regardless, they want to laugh and have fun. And Mr. Gay Syria gave that to them. They could come back to life. You can see how much they want to live – it’s beautiful, and offers an escape.” (Ayşe Toprak, director)

Director: Ayşe Toprak
France/Germany/Turkey2017
87 minutes
Arabic/English/German/Turkish
Original language with English subtitels

Duration: 90 min.
Registration: friends@weltmuseumwien.at
Location: WMW Forum
 

The movie is part of our Diversity Programme in June.