Amidst the upcoming Mr. Gay World pageant in 2016, Syrian refugees living in Istanbul navigate society under the pressures of discrimination and violence. A documentary feature from Ayse Toprak, Mr. Gay Syria refuses to dwell on the hardships or cruelty experienced by its subjects. The pageant contestants, hairdresser and new father Hussein, the cook Omar, and the confident Wissam, are all determined to live full lives of integrity and warmth, themselves all examples of the celebration of self.
In the backdrop exists the toll of the Syrian crisis—as immigrants themselves, the pageant contestants cannot work or share in the rights of citizens, including travel abroad. Locked in a state of limbo, the contestants find joy through their daily lives as individuals and within their families, while also preparing for a pageant that may or may not turn out to be as it appears.
Director Biography
Ayse Toprak was born in Turkey and is a documentary filmmaker and writer. Leading up to the release of her debut feature film, Mr Gay Syria, Toprak directed episodes of the National Geographic Explorer (’16).
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