Maghreb’s Hope
Screenings:
December 7, 2025 Casa Capitão, Lisbon
February 14-28, 2026 Online Worldwide (not available for viewing in Tunisia, Morocco. Libya, Algeria)
Through a fusion of drawing, animation techniques, and real-life footage,these artistic portrayals highlight the experiences of queer individuals from the "BIG Maghreb" region, including Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco. These individuals have courageously shattered societal taboos surrounding their gender and sexuality, defying legal, social, and familial
pressures, even among those who have chosen to distance themselves from their families.
Bassem ben Brahim (She,He) is a Queer film director from Tunisia. Bassem graduated in image design at the Higher Institute of Fine Arts, Nabeul Tunisia. He got his Masters in editing from the School of Audiovisual and Cinema Gammart ESAC. He has directed two animated films; CHROMOPHOBIA and THE RED FISH in 2019 around the issue of gender and sexuality. In 2022 he made his first short documentary NIDHAL which has made various international festivals such as Reeling LGBTQ+ Film Festival; Lovers Film Festival. He is the co-founder of Gender Betounsi, a project on gender culture through the art of animation and painting.