about
projeCTS
Inside this hidden world, pretending to be someone you’re not, is sometimes the only way to survive. It’s a world where being queer is still a crime and 'coming out’ comes with severe consequences. Keeping your sexuality or gender identity a secret becomes a full-time job, a lifestyle that becomes more and more demanding. It can be a risky existence - many feeling trapped in complicated lives. But the brave people you’ll meet in this documentary are changing that in a big way. With safe, exclusive access, Pat meets those who want to be more than silent shadows in their own world - they’re ready to collectively ‘come out’. While Pat confronts his own complex past living a double life in western Sydney, he lands deep inside the thrilling, emotional and at times thorny lives of queer identifying Australian Arabs creating their own rules to survive and thrive.
Australian Directors Guild Awards 2024 | Highly Commended - Best Direction in Documentary
Australian Cinematography Society 2024 | Winner - Best Cinematography in Documentary
Writer/ Director/ Producer
PATRICK ABBOUD
Host
PATRICK ABBOUD
Director of Photography
DANIEL HARTLEY-ALLEN
Editor
DANIELLE AKAYAN
Sound
EREN SENER & PAUL WALKER
Graphics
PATRICK FORREST
Head ABC Factual
SUSIE JONES
Series Producer
KIM AKHURST
Executive Producer
AMANDA COLLINGE
Gayrabia has changed the lives of many young LGBTQIA+ identifying Arabs since it's broadcast. The film is currently being adapted into an educational resource for high schools and community organisations working with queer young people. Patrick has delivered several keynotes to local councils and the corporate sector around the importance of creating safe inclusive spaces with the film being a central part of these powerful presentations. Many organisations around Australia and internationally have also screened the filmed as part of their own internal diversity and inclusion programs. Gayrabia was also featured on popular commercial television program Gogglebox.
