Girl-Boy follows four masculine-presenting women—Tinuke, Fred, Ella, and Lara—navigating life in Nigeria’s rigid gender system. Through moments of rejection, resilience, and self-affirmation, they confront social and familial pressures, police violence, and prejudice. Each woman redefines femininity on her own terms: embracing identity, independence, and strength in a society that demands conformity. A moving portrait of courage, defiance, and self-love.

English

Girl-Boy

In Nigeria, the stories of masculine-presenting women and queer people are rarely seen in mainstream media, making this project especially timely. ‘Girl-Boy’ offers an intimate glimpse into their daily struggles and triumphs, which many are unaware of. Through Girl-Boy, I hope to encourage viewers to question their preconceptions of gender and inspire broader conversations about acceptance and representation.

Four characters from four countries appear in this project .The filming process involves the director and their assistant traveling to each location and personally following the characters.&nbsp;However, the production faces significant challenges in certain locations.&nbsp;Algeria and Morocco, specifically Meknes, present inherent risks and dangers when it comes to documenting these subjects.&nbsp;In Tunisia, they had the opportunity to film Ritej from Libya, which adds an additional layer of delicacy due to the geographical proximity between the two countries. The director recognizes the importance of approaching this subject matter with sensitivity and respect, given the unique challenges faced by Ritej and the cultural context surrounding their story.The film also includes a shooting in Sao Paulo, Brazil, featuring Jad, a transgender man from Tunisia. This country presentsa stark contrast to the countries of the BIG Maghreb.&nbsp;The filmmaking process becomes an exhilarating adventure, infused with intense emotions, love, and moments of both excitement and fear. The constant awareness of the potential risks of being stopped or arrested adds to the complexity of the project. However,completing this film under such challenging conditions is a source of immense pride, as it represents a significant accomplishment in terms of both filmmaking&nbsp;and activism.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.

Maghreb's hope

Queer individuals from the Big Maghreb region share their stories, spanning across their home countries and various locations worldwide.

Through a careful selection of images and sounds extracted from various archives, the director of this short film offers a profound reflection on the process of discovering and blossoming her identity. In this personal journey, moments of stumbling, uncertainty and beauty are intertwined, revealing the complexity and richness of the search for authenticity and acceptance.

Naturally A Woman

Through a careful selection of images and sounds extracted from various archives, the director of this short film offers a profound reflection on the process of discovering and blossoming her identity.

The film was made during quarantine. Hadi Moussally was born in Lebanon in 1987.By age 18, he decides to go study film direction in France where he acquires a first master’s degree in “Fiction Cinema” from Paris-Est Marne la Vallée University. Moussally then chooses to take on a complementary masters in “Documentary and Anthropological Cinema” from Paris X Nanterre University, in the course of Jean Rouch. In that respect, Hadi Moussally acquainted himself with reality-cinema. The anthropological and documentary approach accustoms him with the sense of keen observation of his subjects and alerts him to the importance of instantaneous shooting; whereas his fictional background gives him the urge of creating sensual, esthetically pleasing imagery universes.From 2012, Hadi Moussally shifts towards the world of fashion and directs several experimental films some of which received various distinctions in festivals. In 2014 he made his first documentary on the end of his grandmother's life, and in 2016 a docu-portrait on a senior model. In 2018 he completed an experimental project on albinism "Positive" whose photos have been exhibited at the UNESCO, the City Hall of Paris and Beirut Art Fair as well. In 2015 he founded the production unit H7O7 whose main objective is to enable the making and promotion of films and photos with "hybrid" vocation where is privileged the mixture of genres between experimental, documentary, fashion and fiction.

Bellydance Vogue

"My birthday was on the 3rd of April 2020 during lockdown, and for the first time, I celebrated it all by myself. But even if I was alone, I decided to celebrate it as if it’s the last one"

Roya, is caught in a passionate love triangle where desire clashes with ego, unraveling the complex ties of love, hate, and obligation against the backdrop of an Orange County yoga studio. Rustin Zam-Zam Madadi is a multidisciplinary storyteller and filmmaker born in Shiraz, Iran, dedicated to preserving the cultural and linguistic heritage of the transgender Iranian diaspora. Their work spans fiction and non-fiction across film, theater, and radio, with a strong emphasis on cultural preservation through sound.Rustin’s theatrical debut, Mitra’s Suitcase, received the Los Angeles Mayor’s Recognition Award in 2020. Their other plays have been staged at the Frida Kahlo Theater, Wayward Artist Theater, Chance Theater, and the Broadwater in Los Angeles. They directed Samuel Beckett's Come and Go at the University of Shiraz in Iran and have contributed thought-provoking essays to The Nation and Los Angeles Times.Their acclaimed radio documentaries, Battle After Combat and Beating Hearts, were broadcast nationally on public radio and earned a Third Wave nomination. Rustin also serves their community as a yoga teacher, assembling Middle Eastern–themed yoga pop-ups across Los Angeles.An alumni of master classes with renowned filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, Rustin brings a nuanced, global perspective to their practice. They have a growing interest in genre storytelling as a vessel for cultural critique and queer world-building. Their next film, Kill Kylie, a campy lesbian horror flick, is slated to debut in 2026.

Eden

Roya, is caught in a passionate love triangle where desire clashes with ego, unraveling the complex ties of love, hate, and obligation against the backdrop of an Orange County yoga studio.

Unraveling Roots

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Global South Trans, Intersex, and Nonbinary Stories Unleashed

JAHA Film Festival celebrates trans, intersex & nonbinary filmmakers from the Global South. We reclaim our stories & amplify our voices through cinema, centering Palestinian liberation as intrinsic to collective freedom. A radical, joyful act of resistance.

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