Cabo Negro / Cairo Streets

Das sagt der/die Veranstalter:in:

Two friends, Jaafar and Soundouss, arrive in Cabo Negro, Morocco, to the beach vacation home of Jonathan, Jaafar’s American lover. Jonathan is set to join them shortly, but as days turn into weeks and he is not heard from, the two must find ways to spend time on their own, while not alarming others of their stay. Between palm trees, beaches and markets, connections form and intimacies are exchanged while the scorching summer slowly crawls by.

Celebrated Moroccan author Abdallah Taïa presents his second feature film, twelve years after his debut Salvation Army (2012). Once again, he portrays queer identity in Moroccan society with a tender gaze and penchant for yearning in his calm and engrossing style. The screening of Cabo Negro is preceded by the short film Cairo Streets (2025), also by Taïa.

The short similarly portrays a young man on the search for his lost lover in the bustling streets of 2007 Cairo, shot on low-res, consumer-grade video. As he roams the alleys and shops, he encounters several inhabitants of the city, including Youssef Chahine in a brief cameo shortly before his death in 2008. (MB)

 

 

 

“January 2007: I am back in Cairo. For work. You have changed your phone number, Omar. I must find you… I love you..” Prominent Moroccan author and filmmaker Abdellah Taïa documents his visit to Cairo, his encounter with Youssef Chahine, and his search for a long-awaited lover who never shows up. Cairo Streets premiered at the Locarno Film Festival in 2025.