Soura—which means ‘image’ in Arabic, is about sharing a vision of life that is poignant, defiant, and unique. Our mission is to create a safe and welcoming space for filmmakers whose creative vision has challenged heteronormativity and patriarchal environments, and have explored queerness and what it represents to them through powerful storytelling. The festival is based in Berlin, a city which throughout the years has become home to exiles and immigrants from across the SWANA (South West Asia & North Africa) region, drawn here by the freedom to share, create and be. The festival’s program presents the current queer film scene from the region within various festival sections including feature films, shorts, documentaries, animation, essay-films and queer-classics. Soura Film Festival reserves the right to select artistic efforts that adhere to its political frameworks and support the notion of queerness that stands with the struggles of oppressed communities everywhere in their fight for their basic rights. Therefore, given the region’s political landscape, we find it crucial to state our position against any efforts that indulge in pinkwashing and purplewashing those daily struggles and this ongoing fight.
