Director’s Statement

As the director of Queer Exile, I’m honored to share the story behind a film that began as something deeply personal and has since found resonance with audiences far beyond the world of film festivals.

Displacement, mobility, and the search for belonging have shaped human lives for centuries. Within queer communities, these themes often carry an added weight. Queer Exile is a meditation on what it means to live in exile—on the emotional landscapes of rebellion, longing, and the fragile ways we try to build home when the ground beneath us is constantly shifting.

The film weaves together my own journey from Cairo to Berlin with broader questions about identity and survival. While Germany likes to imagine itself as a beacon of welcome, and Berlin as a queer sanctuary, the lived experiences of queer refugees often tell a more complicated story. Queer Exile seeks to challenge dominant refugee narratives by offering a firsthand perspective—one that hasn’t been filtered through state institutions or media intermediaries.

What started as a personal reflection has become a shared space—thanks to the conversations it’s sparked and the communities it’s reached. I’m especially grateful to the Imagining Queer Bandung project and to the filmmakers, curators, and peers who supported this film through every stage.

Thank you for being part of this ongoing journey. I hope Queer Exile moves you, unsettles you, or simply makes you feel seen.