Egyptian director Aiten Amin has had to take the rough with the smooth when it comes to critics and her latest short film.
A brave move for the Middle East, Her Man explores the emotion and consequences of a forbidden sexual relationship between two women.
But unlike the usual flash sex scene, where the deed is glazed over and played down, Amin decided to show the scene.
Careful
She said: "It's not shown in a dirty or sleazy way but in a classy and careful manner. I believe it is about time we faced
certain issues and film is such a wonderful medium to strike discussion about everyday situations with which we are faced."
Aiten said: "The short film is actually an adaptation of a short book by Ahdaf Soueif which I read in film school. I loved it
the first time around and I rediscovered it when I was going through my old college books and read it again. I loved it even more the second time as it really spoke to me and I decided to make it my next short film.
Born in Cairo in 1978, Aiten graduated from the Faculty of Commerce at Cairo University in 1999. Her previous films include Dance for Me and Madiha Hanem in 2005.
Challenge
The short, which was also screened at the Arab Women's Film Festival earlier this year and at the Clermont-Ferrand
International Short Film Festival, has met with mixed reaction by people from the region.
"Some of the criticism has been hard to swallow but most people who are very against the topic often come around when caught in discussion about it," said Aiten.
"They are circumstances which happen everyday and should be spoken about, not swept under the carpet. I believe censorship needs to be challenged and we can only do that by pushing the boundaries and exploring further."
Aiten is now working on her next short film which is about a little girl who dreams herself into her own imagination.
