Tunisia’s LGBTQ scene celebrates Mawjoudin Queer Film Festival
A major LGBTQ community event has shown diversity and inclusion are still alive in spite of Tunisia’s authoritarian drift and regression of freedoms.
The Mawjoudin Queer Film Festival (MQFF) returned to the Tunisian capital for its third edition after being postponed several times due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was a long-awaited occasion for LGBTQI community members to finally meet up again in person.
“First and foremost, it’s a space of visibility, representation and awareness for the LGBTQ community. And it’s a place of cultural and human exchange,” Karam Aouini, one of the MQFF organizers, told Al-Monitor. “We are really happy to be back.”
The opening ceremony was held in a cinema in downtown Tunis Sept. 22, in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Some 340 mostly young Tunisians arrived at the venue, exchanging greetings and chatting, eager to see the festival kick off.
A mix of short video compilations and colorful images, as well as exhilarating dance performances, were shown, with the audience clapping, cheering and rejoicing at the launch, which ended with the screening of a film.
