Fadia Abboud

Concern for Welfare

Fadia Abboud

Nicole Chamoun, Ryan Johnson

Ali is a gay Lebanese probationary constable and kicking against her Muslim brother's controlling behaviour. When she attends a 'concern for welfare' and discovers the body of an elderly man who died alone and unnoticed, she realises the value of a loving family, even if they can be misguided.

In the Ladies Lounge

Fadia Abboud

Two Lebanese girls find an old poster of two women dressed in suits in this depiction of Middle Eastern lesbian life.

Here Out West

Ana Kokkinos, Leah Purcell

Arka Das, Leah Vandenberg

A baby is kidnapped from hospital by a desperate grandmother. Her flight sets off a chain of events that bring together complete strangers over the course of one day.

I Remember 1948

Fadia Abboud

Soliman Al-Halawani, Abu Daoud

Speaking in Arabic and English, Soliman Al-Halawani, Dr. Mahmoud Hourani, Fouad Charida, Dib El Chami and Rafica El Chami Batach tell of their life in Palestine before 1948 and give eye-witness accounts of the tumultuous days of 'Al Nakba' (the catastrophe), May 15th, and its aftermath. As children and young adults, they and their families were among 750,000 Palestinians fleeing for their lives, as Zionist terror gangs began seizing villages to enlarge the recently created State of Israel. The stories told by these speakers are poignant, unexpected and sometimes surprising, expressing not only the tragedies but also the small miracles which occur in a human catastrophe of such dimensions. Prevented from returning to their homes, the speakers lived as refugees, eventually making their way to Australia. Their continued longing to see their homeland eloquently expresses the feelings of the dispossessed everywhere, and gives this film a universal dimension.

Club Arak

Fadia Abboud

Club Arak is a queer Arab dance party established in 2002 in order to fill a gap in the LGBTQI dance community - Arab queers did not have their own space and wanted to dance to the beat of their own drum. Club Arak played Arabic music and queers could dance to the songs they only ever heard at family parties and weddings - where it is not safe to be gay. This documentary tells the story of how Club Arak empowered and encouraged Arabs to gather and celebrate their sexual and Arab identity.

Barons

Taylor Steel, Fadia Abboud

70s surf counter culture and commerce collide as a group of best friends, inspired by the ocean, create what will become iconic rival surf brands. Little do they know that their success will tear them, and their world, apart.