Family Secrets, directed by Hany Fawzy, is the first Egyptian film to deal with homosexuality directly. However, despite having no explicitly sexual content, the country’s censors have objected to 13 scenes and have asked for them to be deleted.
The film is based on a sad real-life story of a young homosexual man who has grown up in a single-mother household with an elder brother who was subjected to sexual abuse as a child. Family Secrets hardly advances the gay agenda, as the film’s protagonist, Marwan, sees several therapists in an attempt to rid himself of his sexual urges. With this portrayal of homosexuality as a disease to be cured, Marwan does successfully shake off his natural tendencies, but finds himself uncomfortable with his new self.
Fawzy has said that the censor board’s demands would remove vital plot devices from the film and damage its artistic value. In one, Marwan “confesses to his sister that he is a homosexual” and in another “accuses his father of being responsible for his sexual orientation”.
Ahmed Awad, head of the censor board, told AFP at the Alexandria film festival last month that Family Secrets would suffer no censorship just because it is talking of homosexuality.
The censorship arrives as Elton John has announced he will go ahead with his two concerts in Russia this weekend despite a national law banning the “propaganda of homosexuality” to minors. Sir Elton has said he intends to speak out about the law, a situation he describes as “awful” while on stage in Moscow and plans to “meet with the LGBT community” out there.