Organised within the framework of the Metropolis Cinematheque Beirut project, this film festival is dedicated to the history of cinema, presenting classics, restored films and movies which reuse archival material. The festival includes screenings, lectures and presentations. It takes place in Beirut from 20 to 26 January 2023.
Introduced by the Metropolis Beirut Cinematheque, the festival is organised with the support of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Beirut and the Network of Arab Alternative Screens.
The festival started at the French Institute with the screening of the 1971 crime film, "The Choice", directed by Youssef Chahine from a script co-written with Naguib Mahfouz. The film was recently restored and screened at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah.
The festival puts a specific emphasis on Jocelyne Saab's work - who was a French-Lebanese war reporter, filmmaker and visual artist. In partnership with the Jocelyne Saab Association, twelve newly restored documentaries made by the filmmaker during the Lebanese civil war (1974-1982) are scheduled. The restoration of these films was carried out by the Jocelyne Saab Association over the past four years and they are screened in Lebanon for the first time.
More information on https://bit.ly/3XzjBJ2
Photo: an image from Ali Essafi's 2020 essay film "Before the Death of Light". Courtesy of Metropolis, copyright L'Orient-le-Jour.