Belgian-Moroccan director Jawad Rhalib’s mother was a belly dancer, and as a child he was taught to be ashamed of that. Rhalib, the product of the “re-education” that has spread through the Arab world in recent decades, sets out to find those who have rebelled against Islamic fundamentalism and conservatism and continued to create the music, poetry, and dance that is forbidden. Archival footage in this film shows that this stifling conservatism is a relatively recent phenomenon. One especially surprising clip shows Egypt’s Nasser, before a large audience, recounting what happened when a Muslim Brotherhood member demanded that the country’s women don hijabs. “If you can’t get your own daughter, a medical student, to wear the head covering, how will we force millions of other women to?” Nasser said he replied, and the crowd erupted in laughter and applause. Those days are long gone, and this film focuses on the artists fighting against religious extremism. As refugees in Belgium, they are able to live creative lives while conveying the conflict inherent to being an immigrant – between the desire to integrate and the memories of one’s cultural heritage.

Official selection Toronto International Film Festival