Set amid the Lebanese Civil War, Jocelyne Saab’s fiction feature debut, which centers on the unlikely bond formed between a fortysomething painter and a teenager who grew up in war-torn Beirut, is a striking meditation on humanity’s struggle in the face of unthinkable horror. Saab and cinematographer Claude La Rue capture a vibrant sense of precarious life and place in a disappearing city of ruin and rubble. Written with French screenwriter Gérard Brach, the film posits memory as a key to cultural and political resistance.
A pioneer of Lebanese documentary filmmaking. Saab’s Beirut Trilogy is celebrated for its lyrical, poetic, and personal style, establishing her as a significant figure in essay films. Her works were featured in the 2019 WMWIFF Master in Focus program.
From Women Make Waves International Film Festival 2026, No. 33