‘El Houb': Family, Culture and the Quest to Live Honestly Intersect in Intimate LGBTQ Drama (Exclusive Video)
“El Houb” (“The Love”) tells the story of Karim (Fahd Larhzaoui), a young Moroccan-Dutch man caught by his father with another man, who rushes home to finally talk to his parents about the truth he’s hidden from them for so long.
What follows is a difficult but necessary confrontation as Karim, after years of keeping up appearances, finally opens up about the fact that he’s gay — but can he expect acceptance from his family if he still hasn’t come to terms with his sexuality?Watch the trailer, exclusively at TheWrap, at the top of the page.The intimate new drama from writer-director Shariff Nasr defies stereotypes about Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) immigrant communities, examining how for many in this situation, the challenge to overcome isn’t hate or bigotry, but silence.
Starring Larhzaoui, Lubna Azabal, and Slimane Dazi, “El Houb” was written by Nasr, Philip Delmaar and Fahd Larhzaoui, and produced by Joram Willink of BIND, the film will be released in theaters March 31, and available April 4 on DVD and digital formats from Dark Star Pictures and Uncork’d Entertainment.“El Houb” is inspired by Larhzaoui’s personal experiences coming out to his family and focuses on the silent culture the director has observed in MENA families, not just about sexuality but cultural taboos in general. “Whenever I visit my family in the Middle East, I am overloaded with love,” Nasr said in a statement provided to TheWrap. “One day I suddenly asked myself: ‘Would all these caring people still love me the same if I developed romantic feelings for other men?’ I believe they would.
Usually, I see stories about LGBTQ+ in the MENA [Middle Eastern and North African] community presented in the media in this way: You either choose your.
