Treat Me Like Your Mother

Overview

Four trans women from Lebanon—Em Abed, Jamal Abdo, Antonella, and Mama Jad—recount lives shaped by resilience, love, and loss. Their stories span from the groundbreaking state-funded gender-affirming surgery of 1997 to the disappearance of Beirut’s once-safe queer spaces. Through personal photographs, archival footage, and recollections of places like the Raouche strip, their voices resurrect a forgotten history of community and survival amid war and oppression. Interwoven with the filmmaker’s own journey of self-discovery, this intimate documentary traces four decades of trans life in Beirut, celebrating friendship, identity, and the enduring spirit of chosen family.

Details

Status

Released

Release date

November 15, 2025

Original language

English

Production

Cold Cuts

Cast

Antonella,Mama Jad,Jamal Abdo,Em Abed

Director

Mohamad Abdouni

Writer

Mohamad Abdouni

Producer

Riham Ezzaldeen

Music

Charbel Haber,Postcards,Fadi Tabbal

Budget

Not recorded

Revenue

Not recorded

IMDb

tt29331471