Not Quite the Taliban
Fadi Hindash, Jordan, 2009
Not Quite the Taliban is a documentary about one man's frustration with his generation of young "modern" Arabs who appear Western, but are more conservative than the traditional Arabs. While there are many films about hypocrisy in the Middle East made by Western filmmakers, Not Quite the Taliban is the first to be made by an Arab who has put himself on the line by speaking up about the taboos. The film chronicles the journey of Fadi, a young Arab filmmaker, as he makes a documentary about the double standards in Dubai, the place he's called home all his life and the flagship of Arab modernity where covered women walk side by side with call girls everyone pretends aren't there. It is a contradictory world of Arabs whose lives revolve around work, shopping and clubbing. Educated Arabs who laugh at their inability to construct one full sentence in Arabic but use their traditions as an excuse to deny what happens behind closed doors. Fadi Hindash confronts the contemporary generation of 'westernized' Arabs with a taboo. What happens when you reveal your sexual orientation to those 'modern' Arabs?
Produced by:
Jan vandierendonck
Festivals and Awards:
Winner of Jury Award at Bangalore Queer Film Fest, India, 2011
Movies that Matter Film Festival, The Hague, 2010
Torino GLBT Film Festival, Italy, 2010
Nominated for Audience Award, VERZIO Documentary Film Festival, Hungary, 2010
Nominated for Best Documentary, 13th Annual Arab Film Festival, USA, 2009
This Human World Film Festival, Vienna, 2009
Support:
Belgian broadcaster "Lichtpunt" - 10,000 Euro presale agreement
Distribution agreement with Autlook Films, the Austrian sales agent
Commissioned by DR Denmark
Commissioned by Channel 8 Israel