DIARIES FROM LEBANON

SYNOPSIS

In 2018, Joumana, a fiery feminist writer, poet, and activist ran for election defying a political system that has been suffocating Lebanon for 40 years. She gets elected, only to be ousted the next day through fraud, leaving her supporters furious. In 2019, the people’s rage turned into a revolution. The streets swell with thousands of voices. Among them Perla Joe, a fearless woman who rapidly becomes a symbol of this uprising. Her unyielding voice echoes the frustration of a youth struggling to find its place. Georges is a veteran of the Lebanese Civil War where he lost a leg but clung to his delusions of “glory.” In the form of diaries, the filmmaker narrates four tumultuous years of a nation in turmoil, battling to break free from its chains. Personal quests for meaning and survival unfold a question: How can we continue to dream when the world around us is collapsing?

DIRECTOR’S BIOGRAPHY

Myriam El Hajj is a Lebanese filmmaker whose first feature-length documentary, A Time to Rest, premiered at Visions du Réel-Nyon in 2015 and screened at several international festivals, winning multiple awards. Her second documentary, Diaries from Lebanon, premiered at the 74th Berlinale’s Panorama Section. El Hajj teaches Cinema at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts and is a member of several film commissions, including the CNC. She is also a founding member of Rawiyat-Sisters in Film — a collective of women filmmakers from the Arab world and the diaspora.

FESTIVALS AND AWARDS

Champs Élysées Film Festival – Prix du Jury Longs métrages français
Geneva International Oriental Film Festival (FIFOG) – Special Mention for Quality of Subject Treatment
International Festival Signs of The Night in Bangkok – The Signs Award

DESCRIPTION

DIARIES FROM LEBANON (doc.)
Director: Myriam El Hajj
Country: Lebanon, France, Qatar, KSA
Year: 2024.
Runtime: 110’
Language: Arabic
Production: Abbout Productions, GoGoGo Films
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PROGRAM LINE: INTERNATIONAL SELECTION

9. 11. u 21 č DKC