Exile

This documentary is deeply personal to us as directors, as its conception stems from our own first-hand experiences with HIV. Tragically, at the end of 2022, we lost a dear friend to complications from the virus—a loss that profoundly affected us. What drove us to make this film was the wave of ignorance and stigma we observed within our own LGBTQI++ community in Tunisia. This stigma continues to fuel rising rates of HIV infections and deaths, particularly among young people aged 17 to 25.

The situation is alarming, and as members of this community, we felt a responsibility to act. We needed to raise awareness and sound the alarm, especially given the lack of government action. This is our community, and no one should die from HIV complications in 2023, especially when treatment is available and HIV is no longer a life-threatening condition with proper care.

This project has been in development since 2022. However, we only secured funding in December 2023. Production officially began in January 2024 and post - production wrapped in August 2024. The modest budget of $5,000 was originally intended for a short film, but the complexity and urgency of this topic demanded a deeper exploration. We made the decision to go beyond the constraints of the budget, covering many expenses out of pocket and relying heavily on volunteer contributions. Despite these challenges, we gave our best effort with the limited financial resources and technical knowledge we had.

Casting presented significant obstacles. We were unable to find individuals willing to share their stories with their identities revealed. Even actors declined to appear without anonymity due to the intense stigma surrounding both homosexuality and HIV in Tunisia. This severely limited our creative process, particularly in capturing B-roll shots.

Research was another major challenge. Local studies on HIV are scarce, and the most recent data we could access was from 2023. However, the epidemic is likely far worse than reported due to stigma, poor information centralization, and the high number of patients who begin treatment but stop attending appointments. As a result, accurate data on those under treatment or deceased is nearly impossible to track.

The current political climate in Tunisia has further complicated the project. The government’s continued targeting of civil society organizations and the queer community has made it unsafe to screen this documentary publicly. Nonetheless, we are working to organize underground screenings to spread the message and reach as many people as possible.

This has been the most emotional and challenging project of our careers as young directors. The personal nature of this story has only amplified its importance to us. For us, this film is not just a creative endeavour—it is a mission to inspire change and save young lives.

Throughout this journey, we have grown tremendously, both as filmmakers and as human beings. We are deeply grateful to the brave individuals who shared their stories with us and trusted us to protect their safety and well-being during these dangerous times in our country. We are equally thankful to the cast and crew, who were driven by a shared passion for this topic and a belief in the urgency of this message. Their unwavering commitment, despite the risks, brought this project to life.

We hope this film will spark meaningful conversations, challenge harmful stigmas, and contribute to a future where no one loses their life to HIV complications.