Lebanon

Synopsis:
Portrait of a French mercenary working in Lebanon, hired by the Phalange to train the militias. War leaves its traces; and for some, who see death as part of the job, it’s a vocation.Read More »

A pianist living in a war-torn Middle-Eastern town where music has been banned by ISIS, dreams of a career in Europe. But when his piano is broken before Karim can sell it to pay for his evacuation, he embarks on a dangerous mission to repair it.Read More »

Synopsis:
Rabih, a young blind man, lives in a small village in Lebanon. He sings in a choir and edits Braille documents for an income. His life unravels when he tries to apply for a passport and discovers that his identification card, which he has carried his entire life, is a forgery. Traveling across rural Lebanon in search of a record of his own birth, he meets people on the far fringes of society who tell their own stories, open further questions and give Rabih minor clues about his true identity. Descending into a void at the heart of his existence, Rabih encounters a nation incapable of telling his or its own narrative.Read More »

In April, 1975, civil war breaks out; Beirut is partitioned along a Moslem-Christian line. Tarek is in high school, making Super 8 movies with his friend, Omar. At first the war is a lark: school has closed, the violence is fascinating, getting from West to East is a game. His mother wants to leave; his father refuses. Tarek spends time with May, a Christian, orphaned and living in his building. By accident, Tarek goes to an infamous brothel in the war-torn Olive Quarter, meeting its legendary madam, Oum Walid. He then takes Omar and May there using her underwear as a white flag for safe passage. Family tensions rise. As he comes of age, the war moves inexorably from adventure to tragedy.Read More »

In the depths of loneliness and despair, beautiful Aida visits her “tailor,” Victoria, a woman who runs a sensual house where erotic fantasies are fulfilled. After satisfying her desires in the arms of one of Victoria’s young men, Aida has a haunting nightmare where she envisions herself as a witch who, during a full moon, has the power to destroy her lovers’ sensitivity. This disturbing dream sends Aida into a downward spiral of self-destruction. When Aida finally loses her will to live and all hope for salvation, she longs to purify herself and find forgiveness for her sins. Reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut and the stylishly erotic films of Radley Metzger, The Lady of the Black Moons emerged from an era of relaxed censorship in Egypt.Read More »

Quote:
Lilas and Shery, co-founders and guitarists of the Middle East’s first all-female metal band, wrestle with friendship, sexuality and destruction in their pursuit of becoming thrash metal rock stars.Read More »

Bashir attends his father’s funeral in rural Lebanon only to discover a pathogen infecting the trees in his village. A dark comedy about tradition, grief, and the environment.Read More »

Maia, a single mother, lives in Montreal with her teenage daughter, Alex. On Christmas Eve, they receive an unexpected delivery: notebooks, tapes, and photos Maia sent to her best friend from 1980’s Beirut. Maia refuses to open the box or confront its memories, but Alex secretly begins diving into it. Between fantasy and reality, Alex enters the world of her mother’s tumultuous, passionate adolescence during the Lebanese civil war, unlocking mysteries of a hidden past.Read More »

A day in the life of Malek, a young man who suffers from sleep disorders and is obsessed with thoughts of his ex-girlfriend. Meanwhile, his overprotective mother struggles with the disappearance of her husband, who was kidnapped more than 15 years ago during the civil war.Read More »