The Needle
Directed by
2023

A young Tunisian couple is faced with a crucial decision after the birth of their intersex child. They have three days to decide the child’s gender. (Festival information, Turin 2024)

Statement of the director: “The subject of ‘intersex’ children is one of the most delicate subjects in Arab and Tunisian society in particular. Until 2023, Tunisia which presents itself as a modern and advanced arab country with regard to personal freedoms, is unfortunately not so with regard to the subject of intersex children. In 2023, no legislation protects these children from possible mutilation committed voluntarily by the parents. Parents guided either by medical or religious advice, but above all by the pressure of a society that only sees these children as a curse. A society that still cannot accept its diversity. Having an intersex child in Tunisia is a shame for most parents.”

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Year
2023
Country

Festivals

Related content

"L'Aguille" (The Needle) by Abdelhamid Bouchnak has won the 11th Interfaith Prize (Premio interfede) at the Film Festival in Turin 2024.

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