When Malik, 30, returns to Tunisia after his father’s death, he has to live with his mother again. He’d like to tell her he’s into guys, but he can’t and he gets bogged down in his lies. When he meets Bilal, everything becomes possible.

In 2011, the first and only Queer Film Festival in Tunisia was created, a risky endeavour in a country where homosexuality is still illegal. The String is a wonderful example of the rise of LGBT voices in the region, starring Claudia Cardinale and celebrating the joys and tunes of summer romances.