Writer-Director Shariff Nasr’s intimate, unique, and commanding exploration of a man who comes out to his family, El Houb follows up a bravura festival run with a national release this spring. Moroccan-Dutch Karim (Fahd Larhzaoui) tells his parents (Lubna Azabal and Slimane Dazi) that he is attracted to men. After years of keeping up appearances, the word is finally out. The difficult days that follow evoke beautiful and poignant memories. He realizes that he has to confront his family to finally break the silence. But in order to be accepted, he must come to terms with his own feelings first. Written by Nasr, Philip Delmaar, and Fahd Larhzaoui, and produced by Joram Willink of Bind, El Houb hit theaters on March 31st and be available on DVD and Digital on April 7 via Dark Star Pictures and Uncork’d Entertainment.
Discussing the movie director Nasr shares, “It is fantastic to be able to work with internationally renowned actors like Lubna Azabal and Slimane Dazi. Lubna underwent an intense metamorphosis to realistically portray the role of the elderly mother and Slimane went through an intensive process to speak fluent Darija Arabic in the film. Thanks to their efforts and enormous commitment, they, along with Fahd Larhzaoui and Sabri Saddik, form a close-knit family in El Houb that draws the viewer into this intense story.”
The film was inspired by main actor Fahd Larhzaoui’s personal experiences with coming out to his family. El Houb (meaning ‘the love’) focuses on the silent culture the director has observed in Arabic families – not only about homosexuality but cultural taboos in general. With powerful filmic language, the film tells about messages between the lines and things not said.
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