Cannes film portrays trans 'warriors' on Israel's margins / Photo: LOIC VENANCE - AFP
-
RBI Data Reveals Divergence in Credit Card Spending and Debit Card Cash Withdrawals
-
First-time boat buyers advised to assess full ownership costs
-
Panthers expected to begin 2027 NRL season away from new stadium
-
Planning and preparation can reduce stress of interstate relocation
-
Sweet As app launches restaurant discovery platform
-
Two more arrested in Carrie Mullane suspected murder investigation
-
Phoenix Restaurants Offer Thanksgiving Dinner to Go for Pickup
-
MLA seeks inquiry into reported sectarian gestures on Ormeau Road
-
Mayo school appeals for information after convent and chapel vandalism
-
Louise O’Reilly attacks Simon Harris over unemployment remarks
-
Virginia overwhelms Arkansas 91-72 behind balanced scoring
-
Canadian soldier Aidan Goulding remembered at Vancouver funeral
-
Second major storm brings destructive winds and outages to British Columbia
-
Tayyab Arif hits 57 on Pakistan Test debut against Sri Lanka
-
Godzilla Minus Zero leads North American box office with $31.6m
-
Robert Trujillo discusses literacy and social justice children’s books
-
Advocate calls for coordinated support for children facing trafficking
-
Civil rights advocate William Bill Tucker dies aged 98
-
Medicare Open Enrollment Ends Dec. 7: Review Your Coverage Options
-
Pennsylvania Democrats secure state trifecta in midterm elections
-
US Treasury order targets bank transfers linked to crypto exchange MEXC
-
Godzilla Minus Zero sets foreign-language box-office opening record
-
Nvidia CEO Controversy Sparks Fears of Tighter U.S. AI Chip Curbs for Samsung and SK hynix
-
Eagles record six sacks as rushing attack struggles against Giants
-
Villeneuve teases James Bond casting at Los Angeles museum gala
-
Thames Water seeks to delay £12bn in debt repayments
-
Nottinghamshire launches specialist rural crime policing team
-
Newark boxing gym expands alternative education programme
-
China confirms talks over possible Xi-Putin-Trump summit
-
Democrats consider impeachment drive against Defence Secretary Hegseth
-
Rail journey offers a slower route to a Berlin city break
-
Energy bill plan could use HMRC income data to target support
-
Arsenal control title race as Manchester United fall into bottom three
-
Business owner earning £6,000 a month tackles £70,000 debt
-
Suspected Krakow gunman dies after attack that killed six
-
Nvidia chief faces inquiry after disclosing affair with suspected Chinese agent
-
Carrick backs Dalot after hostile reception from Manchester United fans
-
Comet returns as online electrical marketplace 14 years after collapse
-
Aston Villa Defy History With Rare Victory at Old Trafford
-
Brussels Education Unions Schedule Major November Protest Over Funding and Reforms
-
Crowds Gather at San Francisco Park for Elizabeth Holmes Lookalike Tournament
Cannes film portrays trans 'warriors' on Israel's margins
An intimate documentary about Palestinian transsexual women in Israel, filmed before the latest Gaza war and unrelated to the conflict, screened at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday.
In "The Belle From Gaza", French filmmaker Yolande Zauberman delves into Tel Aviv nightlife, camera in hand, in search of a trans woman rumoured to have walked on foot all the way from the Gaza Strip.
On her quest to find the mythical figure, Zauberman meets others who candidly recount running away from their families, the struggle to affirm their gender identity, and their romantic dreams.
"They're real warriors of their own destiny," she told AFP ahead the premiere at Cannes, where she was joined by some of the film's subjects on the red carpet.
"Trans women were once viewed as goddesses and demi-goddesses. I wanted to give them that place in the film."
It is her latest to explore the taboo margins of Israeli society following her 2011 film on racism, "Would you Have Sex with An Arab?", and 2020's "M", in which she followed a survivor of sexual abuse within the ultra-orthodox Jewish community.
"The Belle From Gaza" follows Danielle, Nadine and Nathalie as they battle to escape a life of prostitution.
The success story they aspire to is embodied by Talleen Abu Hanna, a Palestinian Christian with Israeli nationality who won Miss Trans Israel 2016 and managed to patch up ties with her family.
- 'Accept myself' -
Abu Hanna said Miss Trans Israel was a chance for a fresh start.
"It's given me the chance to feel human... to accept myself," she told AFP.
Initially, her father had no idea what "trans" or "gay" meant.
It took time "to teach my family how to accept me and how to love me," she said.
Pro-Palestinian activists have long accused Israel of "pink-washing", or boasting of its acceptance of the LGBTQ community to cover up its rights abuses against Palestinians in the occupied territories.
But Abu Hanna said her role was not to "pink-wash" anything.
"This is my real life," she told AFP.
Zauberman agreed: "There is a freedom in Tel Aviv that does not exist in other parts of the Middle East," she said.
"And then there is also a territorial arrogance, a colonial arrogance that is unbearable," she said, referring to the Israeli government's policies towards the Palestinians.
A.Rodriguezv--AMWN
