20th Arab Film Festival

Friday, September 25 at 7:00 PM

Mizna presents a retrospective of Hadi Moussally’s short films, with the filmmaker in attendance. Hadi combines a multifaceted filmmaking approach with a very clear discourse on what it is to be gay and Arab, both in his country of origin and in his adopted countries. Through her drag alter ego Salma Zahore, she takes us to a colorful world and a hilarious countryside—offering the LGBTIQ+ community in the SWANA region one of those valuable spaces for freedom and expression—without losing sight of the adverse social and legal environment with which they have to coexist.

Featuring alter-ego Salma Zahore, an ongoing project and persona of Hadi Moussally, this collection of shorts includes Les Fleure du Mâle, Abaya Rocks, and Salma à la plage, all filmed while traveling to various countries. The majority of these captivating and colorful moments are around a minute and without dialogue, reminiscent of music video culture, and in deep drag tradition.

Visiting filmmakers: Hadi Moussally, Olivier Pagny

ABOUT THE FILMS

SHAME

Dir. Hadi Moussally, Olivier Pagny • Lebanon • 2025 • Arabic • 5 min
In the 19th century, in the Shaam region, Salma Zahore, along with her parents and neighbors, participated in a photoshoot using a long exposure technique. At the end of it, Salma decided to take off her coat, revealing her body. Unaware of the chaos this gesture could cause within her circle, she did not know it could lead to shame.

Through this artistic exploration, the film prompts viewers to reconsider their understanding of shame, societal expectations, and the evolving nature of cultural identities. It challenges the notion of shame as a tool for social control while celebrating individuality and the diverse expressions of human identity.

BELLYDANCE VOGUE

Dir. Hadi Moussally • France, Spain, Lebanon • 2020 • Arabic • 5 min
Alone on his birthday during lockdown on April 3, 2020, Hadi celebrates his birthday alone as if it were his last. The film is a blend of archival home footage from the ’80s and ’90s with a VHS aesthetic, transforming isolation into a defiant act of joy.

SPACE WOMAN

Dir. Hadi Moussally • Lebanon • 2021 • Arabic • 19 min
Tripoli, North Lebanon. At sixty-four, Maha has just taken her retirement from teaching. This new life puts her in the face of her loneliness as a divorced woman whose children have left their home to live abroad for years now. The sole company of her faithful neighbors is no longer enough for Maha to fight the terrible emptiness and boredom she now feels. But had she not always dreamed of being an astronaut? And what if she lets herself drift to this promise of escape?

SULTANA’S REIGN

Dir. Hadi Moussally • Lebanon • 2023 • English, French, Arabic • 10 min
Sultana of New York is a Palestinian drag queen, performer, and artist. Sultana’s Reign opens with a conversation with Sultana, as she is being painted by Jordanian artist, RIDIKKULUZ. Reflecting on her journey from Jordan, to Egypt, to Lebanon, to New York, Sultana tells of the challenges of performing drag in conservative societies, her nostalgia for the glory days and the glamour of Egyptian cinema icons, and her struggle to prove her existence and her self-expression as a performer and artist. She also shares her love of celebration and her everlasting commitment to be true to herself.

SALMA!

Dir. Mary Sherif Kamal Hanna • Canada • 2024 • Arabic • 7 min
A portrait of photographer, film director, and performer Hadi Moussally and his famous drag alter ego, Salma Zahore. In 2022, Salma burst onto the performance scene, captivating audiences at venues like Razzmatazz Club in Barcelona, La Bellevilloise in Paris, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Neither male nor female, neither religious nor atheist, her performances challenge inherited ideas of gender, faith, and power, while unapologetically affirming her Lebanese, Arab, and queer identity.

LES FLEURS DU MÂLE

Dir. Hadi Moussally • France • 2023 • French • 4 min
Inspired by Baudelaire’s censored words, this Super 8 portrait traces Salma, a creature punished for who she is, as she confronts the authority of her own creation and begs for the right to exist.

ABAYA ROCKS

Dir. Hadi Moussally • France, Lebanon • 2023 • No dialogue • 1 min
In the streets of Paris, Salma, a queer Arab performer, collaborated with Mohsen Othman, an esteemed Egyptian photographer and art director based in Paris, for an editorial photoshoot that centered around the theme of the abaya. Notably, the abaya isn’t a religious garment but a cultural one, underlining a rich tapestry of traditions and personal expression. Against the ongoing debate in France over banning religious symbols in public schools, this photoshoot assumed a significant and thought-provoking stance.

ABJAD HAWAZ

Dir. Hadi Moussally • Spain, Lebanon • 2023 • Arabic • 5 min
Abjad ?awaz takes its name from the ancient ordering of the Arabic alphabet. Through the body of Salma Zahore, each letter is danced and embodied in the ruins of Barcelona. Blending fashion, music, poetry, and performance, the film reclaims a language often feared and misunderstood, turning it into a celebration of identity, resilience, and artistic freedom.

SALMA À LA PLAGE

Dir. Hadi Moussally • Spain, Lebanon • 2025 • No dialogue • 1 min
A short film about self-discovery and reflection, guided by the artistic vision of Hadi Moussally and set on a peaceful beach of Sitges. Featuring Salma Zahore, the film combines fashion and introspective storytelling, to create a unique and evocative experience.

SALMA IN LA COSTA BRAVA

Dir. Hadi Moussally • Spain, Lebanon • 2025 • No dialogue • 2 min
A new video collaboration between Salma Zahore and Pride of Costa Brava, created to promote the Pride in Lloret de Mar. Directed by Hadi Moussally, the film is a tribute to self-expression, inclusivity, and the charm of the Costa Brava region. At the heart of the video is Salma Zahore, who wanders through the streets of Lloret de Mar. Through stunning visuals and dynamic storytelling, Salma in La Costa Brava invites viewers to see the city through Salma’s eyes: bold and proud.

FILMMAKER BIOS

Hadi Moussally is a multidisciplinary artist working across film, photography, performance, and mixed media. Born in Lebanon in 1987, he is currently based between Paris and Barcelona. Since 2020, his work has developed into a distinctive hybrid language, exploring themes of identity, memory, and the body. Notable works include Bellydance Vogue (2020), selected in over one hundred festivals worldwide; Space Woman (2021), acquired by Canal+ & distributed by Mad Solutions; and La Casquette (2022), winner of the France TV competition.

Olivier Pagny is a French cinematographer, editor and audiovisual producer whose practice sits at the intersection of technical expertise and artistic experimentation. In 2016, he co-founded h7o7  with Hadi Moussally, a  production company dedicated to contemporary, hybrid and experimental forms of storytelling. Since then, Olivier has placed his technical experience at the service of artistic expression, constantly questioning the role, meaning and possibilities of images.

Mary Hanna is an Egyptian-Canadian filmmaker and multidisciplinary designer based in Montreal. She graduated with a degree in architecture from Carleton University and went on to train in documentary filmmaking through OTOXO’s Into the Industry program in Barcelona.   Her work explores themes of storytelling through a cultural and interpersonal lens often directed at themes of desire, propriety and memory.  Her debut short film Salma! (2025) has been selected for NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (2025), Image+Nation LGBT2SQUEER Film Festival (2025), Fire !! Festival de cinema LGTBIQ+ de Barcelona(2026), ReelOut Queer Film Festival (2025) , and is distributed by CFMDC.

PRESENTED BY MIZNA

Mizna is a critical platform for contemporary literature, film, art, and cultural production centering the work of Arab and Southwest Asian and North African artists. For more than 25 years, Mizna has been creating a decolonized cultural space to reflect the expansiveness of our community and to foster exchange, examine ideas, and engage audiences in meaningful art.