Birds of the Borderlands

Four queer Arab stories are powerfully illuminated through genderqueer Australian filmmaker Jordan Bryon’s compelling piece of guerrilla filmmaking. Jordanian teenager Hiba is transitioning in secret, fearful of being killed by her Bedouin tribe; gay Iraqi refugee Youssef has fled Baghdad and is living in limbo in Bryon’s safe house in Amman; lesbian feminist Rasha hides her sexuality and her relationship with Bryon from her family while striving for LGBTIQ visibility; and Khalaf, a gay Imam turned activist, lives a solitary life in Beirut. There is tension alongside touching, reflective moments as Bryon becomes more entangled in their struggles, blurring the lines between lover, friend, filmmaker, and activist.

Screening with No Man (4m). Kenneth Macharia is under the threat of being deported from the UK back to his home country of Kenya, where as an openly gay man he faces the risk of persecution, mob violence, and even death.

Tickets are priced on a sliding scale £0-£8 depending on what you can afford. To book, please use the button below or call CCA box office on +44 (0)141 352 4900.

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ACCESS

This screening has an age recommendation of N/C 15+.

Films have a mixture of English and Arabic audio with English captions/subtitles. Hearing loop available.

Films are marginally accessible to English-speaking blind and partially sighted audiences with the feature film half in English, half Arabic and with explanatory dialogue and relatively bright images. Large print versions of handouts available.

CCA has good access for wheelchair users, gender neutral toilets, and welcomes assistance animals. Click here for CCA’s Accessibility Guide.

A Quiet Space and programme content notes will be available. Click here for a list of content notes for the 2019 Festival.

Comfy seating (bean bags) are available. If you would like to reserve this, please contact [email protected].

We have a limited travel fund to assist people to come to the Festival for those who could not otherwise afford to attend. If you would like to apply for this, please contact [email protected].

Tickets

In order to make SQIFF more accessible to those on a low income, we use a sliding scale ticket price of £0-£8 for our events. You can choose what you pay based on your circumstances – you won’t be asked for any proof / ID, we just ask that you are honest! Our ticket sales go towards supporting the vital work of LGBTQ+ filmmakers, artists and organisers. If you have a free ticket and can no longer use it, please contact the relevant venue box office to let them know so it can be used by someone else. For more info on what you should pay, click here.