Telling the story of the trans* community in Lebanon is no easy task. How do you make something visible that has been marginalized and taboo for so long? How do you celebrate the lives of trans* people while protecting their identity and safety?

Photographer Mohamad Abdouni puts four trans* women at the center of his film, interweaving their personal accounts and private archives with his own home videos. The result is a sensitive photo documentary that takes a look at the different facets of femininity. The overlapping of narratives from different decades, based on lived experiences, contributes to complicating today's identity politics and the prevailing Western discourse on gender and sexuality.

Abdouni's directorial debut Treat Me Like Your Mother is both brutal and humorous, accompanied by music from Mayssa Jallad, Charbel Haber, Fadi Tabbal, and others. The film premiered in November 2025 at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).