Roffa Mon Amour + Oase + Rotterdam Pride present an urgent and strong film about a Moroccan-Dutch men who decides to speak out to his family and no longer wants to live a double life.
Before the film a special talk about being queer and Moroccan in The Netherlands takes place with people from the community.

About the talk

How is it to stand between two cultures, when gender and sexuality are unmentionable at home, and within the community? Is coming out necessary? Not everyone can or want to come out of the closet. How do you shape your own identity and find safety and trust within yourself and with others? Khadija El Kharraz Alami and Hicham El Abbas will share what it is like to be queer and Moroccan.

Khadija El Kharraz Alami
Khadija is a courageous, idiosyncratic, and daring creator who breaks taboos. In 2014 she began to develop a unique way of storytelling, where the audience has an active role in the narrative. Khadija previously created the play Nu ben ik Medea, which had an international success. She’s currently present in the Flemish queer serie Roomies.

Hicham El Abbas
Hicham el Abbas is a policy advisor on Diversity & Inclusion at the municipality of Rotterdam. He deals with anti-discrimination, emancipation, and safety at the team Inclusief Samenleven. Hicham focuses his work on bicultural LGBTQA+ people in Rotterdam and aims to create a safe(r) city for them.

About the film
Karim, a Moroccan-Dutch guy is cuddling under the blankets with his lover Kofi after a night of passion until someone rings the bell. It’s the postman, Karim’s dad, who for the first time has to face the reality: His son is homosexual. Being caught convinces Karim to finally break the silence with his conservative parents who dream of Karim marrying and settling down with a Moroccan woman. Therefore, he decides to lock himself in his parent’s closet until they listen to what he has to say.

El Houb opens up about the sensibility of the coming out topic in the Moroccan-Dutch community. It dives into the cultural clashes and conflicts that can arise in a family with mixed values and life experiences. El Houb investigates Karim’s feelings through an odyssey of images, flashbacks, and memories. Shariff Nasr uses stunning photography to narrate Karim’s journey of self-reflection and acceptance. From neon pink lights of the gay clubs to the greyness of the sky of Rotterdam where he grew up.

Shariff Nasr based his work partly on the experiences of actor Fahd Larhzaoui (Karim), who previously made a play about his position as a gay man in Moroccan-Dutch culture. Due to its authenticity, humor, and at the same time sadness, El Houb will bring you on a rollercoaster of emotions.

About the location and setting
Oase is a social hotspot from events that matter. A new gem in Rotterdam West located at the shore of de Maas.
The film will be screened outdoors if the weather is good enough.