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homunculus

FRANCE, ITALY | 2025 | 15 minutes | English, French

Capture d’écran, le 2025-10-17 à 09.03.35.png

Theme: Our stories, our scene

 

Ballroom & Fashion · Women's Rights · Trans Rights · Queer Activism

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Director: Olivia Bendis, Ben Nakhuda & Julio Rocha

Homunculus explores the fetishization of the North African male body in digital gay meeting spaces, where desire and rejection mingle within the Western gaze. The film questions how the collective imagination, nourished by colonial myths and modern stereotypes, transforms the “Arab” into a figure both seductive and threatening. Using the video-game universe of Skyrim and its heroic-fantasy aesthetic, the work creates a parallel between the fantasized figure of the Arab in a world of “Vikings”, an emblem of virility and racial purity. Through his own avatar, a golden-skinned elf, the director exposes the racist construction that imposes a sexualized and violent identity independent of the character’s nature. The film aims to be a critical mirror of collective projections, where contemporary dynamics of racism are revealed in virtuality. Part documentary, part essay, Homunculus invites viewers to reflect on the historical and current mechanisms of oppression and fantasy, revealing the deep roots of destructive stereotypes.

Trailer:

If you feel the need to talk after watching this film, which may cause discomfort or remind you of what you experienced, you can make an appointment with the RÉZO intervention team by clicking on this link. Don't hesitate to take care of yourself!

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