Egypt’s crackdown on the LGBTQI+ community has intensified in recent years, with authorities arresting several individuals based on their sexual orientation. But, one Egyptian film director is challenging the homophobia by standing in solidarity with the community in an upcoming film titled “The Wedding.” Sam Abbas, also the lead character in the film, said it aims to show LGBTQI+ people in the Middle East that “they are not alone,” in a statement to Thomson Reuters Foundation. The film tells the story of a closeted gay man who is getting ready to marry a woman, a reality for many individuals in the region. “The film to me, more than anything, is about repression and alienation,” the 24-year-old director said.