On Boys, Girls, and the Veil

(72 mins) With his leading protagonist and friend (Bassam Samra), director Nasrallah takes us on an exquisite tour of a subject normally overdramatized by the West. Taking the debate beyond the simplistic approach and with familiarity rarely seen, young men and women talk about the ‘hijab’ and its social implications. Most of the youths regard the head scarf not primarily as a religious obligation, but as a social construction that symbolizes a girl’s respectability or sexual innocence. When talking amongst themselves, however, the young men acknowledge the sexual double standard.

In Arabic with English subtitles.