Despite the attempt to erase the artistic and cinematic history in the Egyptian cinema via deleted dialogue or scenes or that have been cut, because someone sees that those scenes or these words are opposing to some delusional values, that he has created under the umbrella of “Respectful art” since he views art as something indecent; but the Egyptian cinema and drama creations have, since the beginning, appreciated art and addressed many causes. One of these causes that it has addressed is the cause of “Homosexuality”, and although many of these pieces addresses homosexuality and homosexuals in a negative manner that indicates ignorance and faulty beliefs, but some think that at least homosexuality and homosexuals have been brought to light and their existence hadn’t been completely erased or ignored.
The homosexuals’ causes have been portrayed in a negative and faulty manner in many of the artistic creations and especially the cinematic, for example, the story for homosexuals always ended in murder or suicide in these pieces, as if it’s their deserved divine justice, or they’d be portrayed as evil malicious people with a bad and harmful influence to those around them. Their characters haven’t been portrayed positively, or handled and discussed as a natural and un-ill matter, nor have they referenced any research or theory to change how the society views them.
Of These Art Pieces:
The first portrayed homosexual character was in the film “The Barred Road” by the director Salah Abu Seif in 1957, and the character was played by Malak El Gamal. She worked as a teacher and had developed a liking for Faten Hamama, and this was shown with the use of some phrases, looks, and outfit choices, and by showing the character without referring to anything else from reasons or causes, or producing judgments.
In the beginning of the 70s, which is the period that is considered to be the openness era in cinema in Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia, and around the world; and in the presence of a mildly larger space for the existence of `homosexual characters, along came the film “Pleasure and Suffering” in 1971 by the director Niazi Mostafa, in which Shams Al Baroudy played the role of a girl that is attracted to girls and despises men because of her father, and her lover was the actress Radwa Ashour, and homosexuality was addressed as a psychological disease that has its causes and is an accidental thing that ends with the arrival of the right man.
One of the most controversial films in the history of Arab and Egyptian cinema, and the biggest film that bluntly and directly featured a homosexual character, was the film “Malatily Bathhouse” in 1973 by the director Salah Abu Seif, in which Youssef Shaaban played the role of a homosexual painter that wanted his space of personal freedom with the society’s intrusion into his private life, and there were many incidents and phrases by some of the participating characters in the film like “May God grant us forgiveness” to show that what this person is doing is a sin, and is something that is forbidden and socially unacceptable, even if all that the person is asking for is for no one to intrude into his life.
There was some progress even if mildly in the film “The Madness of Youth” in 1975 by the director Khalil Shawky, in which Sanaa Younis played the role of a homosexual woman, and this time there was a romantic relationship between her and her friend, but her friend leaves her to marry one of her relatives, and the film ends with Sanaa committing suicide after struggling to accept her orientation; and the director here leaves it open to depict the causes of this suicide, and the viewer wonders if this suicide is because of the society’s rejection which Sanaa couldn’t live with or because of love? And was this ending to sympathize with the character or is it an inevitable punishment?
One of the most famous films as well is the film “Cat on Fire” in 1977 by the director Samir Seif, which had hints of a relationship between Nour el-Sherif in the film and his friend Ezzat who commits suicide in the end after Nour discovers Ezzat’s infidelity with a man, and it wasn’t clear if those hints were for a relationship between them or that Ezzat c`ommitted suicide because his close friend discovered the truth about his homosexuality.
The closure of the 70s was in two films; the first was “A Journey inside a Woman” in 1978 by the director Ashraf Fahmy, which presents that modern day woman with an elite position in society, who has sex with women and steers towards them because her husband is cheating on her. And there was the most famous film to present a homosexual character too and in the same year, the film “Ascending to the Abyss” by the director Kamal el-Sheikh, a film by Madiha Kamel and Iman, and here the homosexual scenes were connected to espionage to show how bad this crime is and its utilization as a seduction method for homeland’s treason.
Homosexuality wasn’t addressed much in the 80s, maybe in two or three films, but among other things like prostitution; but the representation of those characters reappeared in the 90s in a film that is considered to be somewhat positive, and it’s the film “Mercedes” in 1993 by the director Yousry Nasrallah, in which the homosexual character was presented differently, and respect was shown with a bit of realism to the idea of homosexuality and to those characters; in it we saw a love relationship between two men (Magdy Kamel and Bassem Samra), and although one of the heroes dies in the end after being hit by a Mercedes, but the director portrayed the characters without any judgments, and he dealt with homosexuality in a normal way, and showed that love doesn’t have to be between two heterosexuals as the majority want it to be, sometimes.
The most controversial and most ignorant film, is “The Yacoubian Building” in 2006 by the director Marawan Hamed, in which homosexuality was portrayed negatively in almost all aspects, Al Sawy’s homosexuality was reasoned in what had happened to him when he was young from the servant’s abuse to the parents’ negligence; there was also him using Bassem Samra’s situations to seduce him to have sex with him. And in the end he was murdered as a legitimate punishment to his actions, and Bassem Samra’s son died as a divine punishment to what his father did.
Between the years 2007 and 2014, homosexuality was brought up in the frame of sexual exploitation and prostitution like in the films “Hena Maysara” in 2007 and “Haz West El Balad” in 2014; however, in the film “Family Secrets” in 2013, we see the character of a homosexual man in all frankness, and in the end homosexuality is dealt with as a disease that can be treated and has its causes in the assault he faced from his brother in his childhood.
There was some realism in the film “All My Life” in 2008 by the director Maher Sabry, and the film wasn’t shown on cinema screens, and it spoke about the homosexuals’ issues in Egypt and it was specifically for the Queen Boat incident. It showed what homosexuals resort to eventually, compelled, from immigration or hiding their identities and orientation from people and the society.
And in the film “Messages from the Sea” in 2010 by the director Dawoud Abdel Sayed, there’s the role of a bisexual girl and a homosexual one without touching on causes, punishment or projecting any judgments, but he made it just a normal story in the film and an individual’s freedom in choosing his love and sex life.
Homosexuality was portrayed in some TV pieces as well
In the series “Sunset Oasis” by the director Kamla Abu Zekri which we saw in Ramadan 2017, Malika embraces Catherine in a way that shows sexual desire, and Catherine’s reaction was to start beating Malika, screaming “I am not like that”, although in the “Sunset Oasis” novel by Bahaa Taher this affair does actually occur between Catherine and Malika.
In the series “The Sun Will Never Set” in Ramadan 2017 by the director Mohamed Shaker Khodeir, there were candid scenes that indicate a homosexual relationship between Amgad and Nader of the characters of the series, and the truth of this secret homosexual relationship appeared when they were in some party, and Nader saw his friend Amgad in the company of another friend conversing and laughing, which makes him feel jealous and leave the party with his wife, and afterwards Amgad tries to call him and explains that he desperately needs him and that he’s alone at home and wants him to be beside him.
