As diverse a city as Toronto is, it’s rare to see filmic representations of stories from Middle Eastern women. Although programming at the TIFF Bell Lightbox makes strides in connecting Toronto audiences with some of these narratives, events like the International Diaspora Film Festival are bringing a focused awareness to themes like gender, migration and identity.

This year’s festival, which took place from November 1 to 6, included a Ryerson-sponsored series of six short and feature films by Muslim and Arab women. Curated by Nima Naghibi, an associate professor of English at Ryerson, the “Spotlight” program was free of charge to encourage students, faculty and the community to engage with women's narratives.

“I had hoped that these stories that generally fall outside of the mainstream and into the cracks of larger, glossier narratives would access a larger audience if the films were free of charge,” says Naghibi. “And given the impressive – and even overwhelming – turnout for the Spotlight section, I think we were successful in doing that.”

Indeed, there wasn’t a seat to spare at the Carlton Cinema, where the second night of the series boasted a packed theatre.

Among the audience was first-time director Ronak Ghorbani, a graduate student in communication and culture, whose short film Sibil explored the significance of body hair in Iranian culture, and was screened prior to the Tunisian film, Les Secrets, on Friday, Nov. 4. 

“I never thought anyone except my professor would see this film,” Ghorbani told the crowd.

Sibil traces the politics of gender and facial hair in Iranian culture, focusing specifically on moustaches, and Ghorbani’s own affection for the traditionally masculine symbol. She worked with Professor Naghibi to develop the film, which originated from a school assignment.

“I guess the one thing I realized about that course is that I allowed myself to question things I never allowed myself to question before about gender,” she says. 

In the opening segment of her film, Ghorbani tells us her love for moustaches originates from her experiences growing up in a political Iranian community where all the men she knew wore thick moustaches.

“It's a simple, stated fact, and yet she tells us so much in that brief statement,” says Naghibi. “We learn that cultural and political affiliations and one's sense of belonging are mediated through the politics of gender, sexuality, and national or cultural identity.  These are the kinds of issues that all the films in this section, in one way or another, raise for our consideration.”

“As a journalist, I’m used to doing the interviews, not being the person on camera," adds Ghorbani, who has a Bachelor of Journalism from Ryerson. "I didn't feel brave...until I was in the editing process, where it was like, ‘Wow, this is empowering. I just told my own story.’”

Ghorbani points out that she rarely hears about films by Arab or Muslim women outside of the classroom. She’s only heard of one course at Ryerson that focuses on issues pertaining to Islamic women, further highlighting the importance of Naghibi’s film series.

“We certainly don't read about them or hear about them through mainstream channels,” says Naghibi.

“These women's narratives about negotiating the difficult terrain of their lives in the diaspora, in exile, or in their original homeland are certainly less familiar to Western viewers, and I think it is important that we give as much space to these lesser-known stories as we can.”