Billed as Egypt’s “first gay movie” and, according to director Hany Fawzy, based on a true story, Family Secrets addresses head on a theme usually swept under the rug in this region.
Except that the way the film treats its main character, played by previously unknown and evidently untested actor Mohamed Mahran, falls along the lines of the problematic “love the sinner, hate the sin” theme.
Fawzy in his screenwriting and direction and Mahran in his performance clearly mean well in their attempt to humanize a homosexual character for a largely homophobic audience, yet progressives and activists will balk at the film’s depiction of the controversial “conversion therapy” often used to “cure” LGBT individuals who – according to the film – are merely “ill”.
The movie also made news recently when Egypt’s censorship board demanded 13 scenes to be cut prior to its release.
We questioned Fawzy and Mahran on their thoughts about homosexuality, reactions to the film and more. See what they had to say, below.
Hany Fawzy, Director
Why did you make this movie? What is the main message you were hoping to convey?
Because the subject is important to discuss and this is a very sensitive topic in Egypt and mysterious and incomprehensible to most Egyptians.
[The main message I was trying to convey was ] discretion on the subject, and I wanted to screen this topic to make people more aware of the idea of homosexuality.
What is your message to gay Egyptians?
Homosexuality is not a unethical attitude, it’s a disease from my point of view, and gays should be treated as any other human being. And that homosexuality is a medical illness or congenital, but gays can also be affected by individual circumstances, especially if they’re exposed from a young age.
What kind of reactions have you gotten to the film?
I got positive feedback from many and there were many people affected by the story presented by the film. As for homosexuals, they were reluctant or afraid that this film would be against them… but they discovered the opposite, and they said that this film would encourage them to emerge… Although this film discusses the problems that they experience every day.
There are many people reluctant to watch the film, fearing pornographic scenes. Note that there is not a single pornographic scene in the whole film.
What’s your response to critics who condemn your movie because they condemn homosexuality as unnatural and sinful? What’s your response to critics who claim that the movie isn’t actually progressive because it deals with homosexuality as a disease to be cured?
People are ignorant, from my point of view, and should learn to accept others as they are or help them if they can, because gays mostly go through unusual situations in their childhood that leads to this.
And I’m mentioning for the second time, homosexuality is a disease such as depression… Why can’t we say “patients” instead of “unnatural” and “sinful”? Does any patient in the world not want to be cured from the disease she/he has? Of course not!
Mohamed Mahran, Lead Actor
You took a big risk in taking this role. Why did you accept it?
Of course it was a big risk to play a gay character because the audience mixes between the actor and the character. So when an actor plays an evil character, the audience thinks he’s evil… And that’s the point. People in Egypt and the Middle East hate homosexuals. And I’m just an actor playing a character in the movie, so at first I was thinking the audience would hate me.
But when I read the script, I saw that the movie found solutions to fix this problem. I stopped at a line in the script and thought, “It’s a very good line. Maybe I will accept this script because of this line” – and this line said: “It is possible to hate the disease but it is strange to hate the patient.”
How did you prepare for the role?
After the crew of the movie chose me and I accepted the script, I spent two months rehearsing in character with the director and read a lot of books talking about homosexuality. I also went to a sociology doctor and observed many homosexual characters.
What was the most challenging scene for you?
The most challenging was not one scene, it was how to play this character because it’s the first time for Egyptian cinema to present a gay character as the hero in the film, so it was the more challenging for me.
How has your attitude on homosexuality changed as a result of making this movie ?
It’s something not normal and the community should fix that. But everybody is free in his choices.
How did people first react when they found out that you accepted this role? Did their attitudes change after seeing the movie?
Before people saw the movie maybe they didn’t accept it, but after people saw the movie, the reactions were good and people loved the movie.
Give us the scoop on your next big project.
My next project is something serious. I play the character of a saxophone player.
WE SAID THIS: You can catch Family Secrets at Dandy Mall, Golf City Mall, Metro, Renaissance Theaters and Tiba. Also, check out this Q&A with an anonymous activist from the LGBT community responding to this article.