A gay man comes out after years of hiding. This is only one of the secrets revealed around a dinner table in Netflix’s first film production in Arabic, a remake of the Italian feature “Perfect Strangers.”

Despite hitting the top of the most-watched list in Egypt, Lebanon and other countries in the region, the Netflix comedy-drama stirred outrage in Egypt, among calls to ban both the movie and the streaming service itself. 

References have been made to calls in Russia, considered less conservative than Egypt, to ban Netflix over "gay propaganda."

Yet, the film simply shows a group of friends engaging in conversations that may be common in many parts of the Arab world.

But, obviously, someone cannot stand to hear honest conversations on social issues that they would prefer to sweep under the carpet.

So the film was denounced as a threat to family and religious values, encouraging homosexuality and unfit for Arab societies.

But this is ridiculous because the Cairo International Film Festival gave an award to the original Italian version, “Perfetti Sconosciuti,” after it came out in 2016, and our cinema industry has long addressed numerous issues of relevance to contemporary society.

We believe in creative freedom and cherish the role of the arts in addressing critical issues in society. Sign this petition to show your solidarity with the cast of “Ashab wala Aaz”, support Netflix’s first Arabic film production, “Ashab wala Aaz”, and creative freedom in Egypt and the Arab world.