Q

Hiba has belonged to a matriarchal religious order all her life. In this fascinating film, Jude Chehab delves into her mother's secret life, affecting the relationship between all the women in the family.

For many years, Hiba was a respected member of a secretive, all-female muslim sect. Often told that she could one day be a group leader, she was kicked out following an incident. Still, she is unable to move on from her time there fully. Q is her daughter Jude Chebab’s portrait of her mother, grandmother, and herself, tracing the influence of this religious order on their lives.

Employing intimately personal interviews with her own family, archive material, and a steady hand on her camera, Chebab explores her mother’s devotion and its repercussions for her and her family. Shifting through beauty, vulnerability, and unease, this tale shows how complex and heavy love can become.

«This documentary is a gift, both from a child to a parent and from a director to an audience hoping to understand some nonunderstandable choices. Love does not conquer all, but it does alter all; and trying to understand that alteration is another act of love. And because this is an act of love, this movie utterly works.»
– Sarah Manvel, Critic’s Notebook –

Jenny Lund

Director

Jude Chehab is a Lebanese American cinematographer, director, and producer. She has worked with famous institutions such as BBC, Hot Docs, and Doctors Without Borders. Q is her first feature-length documentary. It has won major awards at several festivals, including Tribeca and Sheffield DocFest.

This film is part of