logo
Documentary ‘Diaries From Lebanon' set to screen in Tunisia

Documentary ‘Diaries From Lebanon' set to screen in Tunisia

Broadcast Pro4 days ago
The film is a multinational co-production between Lebanon, France, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
The Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung – North Africa Regional Office will host a special screening of Diaries From Lebanon, the Lebanese documentary by filmmaker Myriam El Hajj, on Saturday, August 2, at 8 PM. The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with El Hajj herself, offering audiences an intimate look into the creative journey behind the film.
El-Hajj's documentary delves into the lives of Georges, Joumana and Perla Joe, each representing a different generation with unique perspectives on reshaping Lebanon. However, as the country grapples with disruptions and personal quests unfold, they are confronted with the question — can our dreams survive in a world in turmoil?
Diaries From Lebanon (in Arabic Mitl 'Osas el Hob, or Like Love Stories) is a joint production between Lebanon, France, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
The film was written, directed, and co-filmed by Myriam El Hajj, with contributions from Jihad Saadé and Mohamed Siam. It was produced by Georges Schoucair of Abbout Productions (Lebanon) and Laurent Ruszniewski of GoGoGo Films (France). Anita Perez and Stéphanie Sicard handled the editing. MAD World, a subsidiary of MAD Solutions, is responsible for the film's global sales.
The documentary features author and activist Joumana Haddad, Lebanese war veteran Georges Moufarej, and artist and activist Perla Joe Maalouli.
Diaries From Lebanon received support from various organisations, including the Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée (CNC), the Fonds Image de la Francophonie, Région Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, International Media Support (IMS), Visions Sud Est with the support of the SDC, and the Lebanese Film Fund-an Initiative of the Fondation Liban Cinema.
Additionally, the film received funding from the Doha Film Institute, the Red Sea Fund and the Atlas Workshops of the Marrakech International Film Festival, and won the Mactari Mixing Auditorium Award and Titra Films Award at the Final Cut in Venice Workshop.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Dubai Culture turbocharges creativity in Al Quoz with spectacular murals
Dubai Culture turbocharges creativity in Al Quoz with spectacular murals

Gulf Today

timea day ago

  • Gulf Today

Dubai Culture turbocharges creativity in Al Quoz with spectacular murals

Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) has unveiled two murals in Al Quoz Creative Zone as part of the Dubai Public Art Strategy. The initiative brings artistic experiences to the community, striving to shape the city into an open-air art gallery. The effort is in line with the emirate's ambition to strengthen its status as a global centre for culture, an incubator for creativity, and a thriving hub for talent. The series showcases the work of three female artists, whose murals reflect the unique spirit of Al Quoz. Drawing on the area's character and vitality, the works turn public spaces into memorable creative sites. Together, they further reinforce Al Quoz's role as a welcoming home for culture professionals and entrepreneurs though they may hail from diverse backgrounds, offering an environment where ideas can find shelter, take root and flourish. In her mural 'Vibrant Voices of Al Quoz', Egyptian visual artist and muralist Rabab Tantawy celebrates the district's vibrancy and particular identity. Painted on the façade of Aramtec, a food service company, her piece features lively scenes of spice stalls, lanterns, and traditional Arabic coffee pots, surrounded by various architectural elements such as arches and domes, reflecting the dynamic face of Al Quoz. Meanwhile, Emirati artist Hend Al Murid has teamed up with Syrian muralist Dina Saadi on 'Wonder Windows', a large-scale artwork on the façade of the interactive children's museum WooHoo, inviting visitors on a journey of discovery. Their work weaves together symbols like the Hudhud bird, the dallah (local coffee pot) traditional Emirati ornamental motifs and childhood memories, wrapped in a spirit of curiosity. Rabab Tantawy's mural brightens the street. Commenting on the initiative, Shaima Rashid Al Suwaidi, CEO of the Arts, Design & Literature Sector at Dubai Culture, highlighted the role of the Dubai Public Art Strategy in enriching the cultural ecosystem and transforming the city into an open-air art gallery. She said: 'The murals are a welcome addition to the Al Quoz Creative Zone, an area known for sparking fresh ideas and giving young talent the space to realise their ambitions. Dubai Culture remains committed to fostering creativity and encouraging artists to capture the spirit of the UAE in their own unique ways. This is part of our broader goal to create a sustainable environment that reinforces Dubai's position as a leading global destination to live, thrive, and enjoy new experiences.' Mozah Lootah, Dubai Public Art Project Manager at Dubai Culture, spoke about the originality and diversity the murals bring to Al Quoz, both in concept and execution. She said: 'The Dubai Public Art Strategy provides a framework to support and empower local creatives, enabling them to express their perspectives by turning our neighbourhoods, squares, and public spaces into cultural destinations. These artworks foster interactive dialogue between artists and audiences, while also contributing to the growth of tourism in Dubai.' Born in 1971 in Cairo, Rabab Tantawy involved herself in several exhibitions, while also actively pursuing street art. Her biggest focus is on union, community, and heritage. Rabab is an intuitive artist. She does not work with preliminary sketches; rather, she uses the canvas as a support for direct download. Line and colour are the pillars of her work. Rabab switches from classical earthy colours to strong neon colours with ease. Emirati artist Hend Almurid captivates the viewer with her attention to detail and talent for creating fascinating patterns. The motto behind her work is 'My art, my universe'. 'My art is an extension of me and I create my own universe within it. And anyone who views and appreciates my work can be a part of it,' she says. Dina Saadi is a street artist, known for her colourful and vibrant murals featuring portraits, animals, and abstract work inspired by nature and the underwater world. Her work explores the deeper theme of human identity, feelings and the collective awareness of our interconnectedness with nature and all life forms. Saadi has painted murals all over the world, including the Middle East, Europe, United States, Asia, and Africa. Through the Dubai Public Art Strategy, Dubai Culture aims to enhance visual culture, stimulate innovation among creators and artists, and encourage them to present artistic experiences that will transform the emirate into an open, accessible and global art gallery for everyone. To this end, it has established collaborations with Art Dubai, Tashkeel, Alserkal, Art Jameel, as well as other entities in the arts sector. The goal is to transform Dubai's streets, neighbourhoods and public areas into touristic and cultural destinations, showcasing artwork, sculptures, paintings, murals and art installations that reflect the creative identity of many geographies. Other examples of public art installations include Resonance, an artistic installation in Al Shindagha by Maryam Namvar and Neda Salmanpour, curated by Munira Al Sayegh, exploring the historic and social significance of the area; Union of Artists, a collaborative sculpture by five Emirati artists unveiled at Al Hudaiba Public Park in 2024 and Deliberate Pauses artworks in Hatta by Shaikha Almazrou, encouraging reflection and appreciation of the natural landscape. Al Quoz Creative Zone is an integrated creative ecosystem designed to meet the requirements of creative talents and entrepreneurs who are investing in various areas of the UAE's creative economy. It aims to gradually transform into a creative space in line with the Dubai Creative Economy Strategy, serving as an integrated hub for all services, licences and permits related to creative businesses.

Co-Production Salon returns to MIPCOM Cannes for second year
Co-Production Salon returns to MIPCOM Cannes for second year

Broadcast Pro

time2 days ago

  • Broadcast Pro

Co-Production Salon returns to MIPCOM Cannes for second year

Co-Production Salon will debut the 2025 MENA Co-Production Guidebook, host curated in-person and virtual networking sessions, and launch a year-round Virtual Networking Lounge to connect Arabic producers with global partners and showcase key industry insights and projects. Co-Production Salon, a platform dedicated to nurturing co-production partnerships and investment channels involving the Arab world, is set to return to MIPCOM Cannes for the second year in a row. Scheduled to run from October 13 to 16, 2025, at the Palais des Festivals, the initiative will feature an upgraded presence at the MIP Creative Hub, strategically positioned along the Cannes beachfront. The event underscores Co-Production Salon's growing role in linking Arabic content creators and investors with international distributors, broadcasters, and financiers to develop globally marketable content. Heba Korayem, Founder of Co-Production Salon, said: 'CoProduction Salon was created to bridge worlds — bringing Arabic production houses and investors together with international partners to create meaningful, marketable content. MIPCOM gives us the stage to make more of those connections happen.' A recent Omdia report predicts the region's VOD market will grow fivefold to reach $8.4bn by 2029, while Parrot Analytics data points to a dramatic rise in demand for Arabic content — up 400% in Saudi Arabia, 300% in Morocco, and 200% in Iraq since 2020. Since its inception, Co-Production Salon has facilitated over $12m in partnership deals. For 2025, the platform is introducing several new initiatives aimed at deepening engagement and insight. These include the launch of the MENA Co-Production Guidebook (2025 Edition), offering in-depth analysis of market trends and investment opportunities, and a Networking Power Hour, designed to foster real-time, curated meetings between Arabic and international stakeholders. Additionally, a Virtual Networking Lounge will provide continuous access to industry data, professional connections, and project highlights throughout the year. The initiative invites participation from a wide array of industry players, from production companies and distributors to investors, broadcasters, OTT platforms, and advertising agencies, all seeking to tap into one of the fastest-growing, youth-driven content markets in the world. Participants will gain access to premium projects, vetted partnerships, and curated networking opportunities. The Virtual Lounge already features over 200 verified profiles from top-tier MENA content entities, including Saudi Broadcast Authority, Thamaniya, Sadaf Media Production, Rise Studios, Cedars Art and Pixitoon. The physical lounge at MIPCOM will serve as a key venue for face-to-face engagement with these and other leading industry names. With its enhanced presence and expanded programming, Co-Production Salon is positioning itself as a central force in the internationalisation of Arabic content. Visitors can connect with the team at PALAIS C12 HUB 6, explore ongoing projects, or join high-level networking events at MIPCOM. 'Our goal is to make those partnerships not just possible but profitable,' added Heba Korayem.

Ziad Rahbani: A musical genius connected to his people
Ziad Rahbani: A musical genius connected to his people

Middle East Eye

time2 days ago

  • Middle East Eye

Ziad Rahbani: A musical genius connected to his people

This week, mourning crowds gathered outside Khoury Hospital in Beirut's Hamra neighbourhood to bid a final farewell to the iconic and much-adored Lebanese composer, pianist and playwright Ziad Rahbani, who passed away at just 69. Rahbani reportedly chose not to undergo a liver transplant, following months of hesitation over the treatment of his deteriorating health. The crowd - many dressed in black, clutching roses, a few Palestinian and Lebanese Communist party flags and some holding up Ziad's portrait - spontaneously broke into a solemn chant of Saalouni el Nass (People Asked Me). It was the first song Ziad ever composed for his mother, Fairuz, written when he was just 17. As the hearse carrying his body departed for his funeral in Bikfaya, the mourners erupted into applause and whistles - as if this was Ziad's final play, the curtains closing on a remarkable and unrepeatable chapter of artistic authenticity, social and political rebellion and intellectual brilliance. When asked by a reporter "What did Lebanon lose today?", Talal Haider, the great Lebanese poet and close friend of Ziad, poignantly replied "Lebanon lost itself". New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Comrade Ziad At a young age, on the cusp of the Lebanese civil war, Ziad left East Beirut where his family were living, to settle in Hamra, choosing to live at the heart of Lebanon's pro-Palestinian leftist movements and communist party, among his comrades and friends. Hamra was the neighbourhood where Ziad spent most of his life. His home and famous recording studio, Nota, were there. His historic plays - that shaped Lebanon's daily life, people's consciousness, sarcasm and vocabulary for decades - were first staged in its theatres such as Piccadilly. There's not a single house in Lebanon that Ziad wasn't present in. His work touched everyone, even those who were against him politically And he played countless concerts in the neighbourhood's small jazz clubs and hotel bars, like Blue Note and the Cavalier. Since the 1970s until today, his music has been played on a daily basis in Hamra's bars and cafes - many of them once his regular hangouts. And on Monday, he left Hamra forever. This was the people's funeral for Ziad Rahbani, known affectionately as Comrade Ziad. The huge crowd that filled the streets included his friends, neighbours, comrades, actors, musicians, writers and poets from across Lebanese society. And of course, his fans - an entire generation raised on his music and plays. There's not a single house in Lebanon that Ziad wasn't present in. His work touched everyone, even those who were against him politically would secretly listen to his music. Ziad may have been a cultural icon and visionary, but he lived modestly, among the people and his community. Ziad's socially realist and politically charged plays from the 1970s to the 1990s spoke to a whole generation and brought him national acclaim. While he had previously contributed music to the plays of his father and uncle - the monumental artistic duo known as the Rahbani Brothers - on productions such as Al Mahatta (The Station, 1973) and Mais El Rim (1975), Ziad quickly carved out his own distinct identity as a playwright, director and actor. Lebanese musician Ziad Rahbani playing the piano, the instrument that has shaped most of his compositions since his first ventures in the early 1970s (AFP) His second play, Nazel el Surour (The Happiness Hotel, 1973), written when he was just 18, marked a turning point in modern Arabic theatre. A bold political satire - often said to have predicted the civil war - it tackled themes of corruption, class inequality and poked fun at failed revolutionary ideals. In Bennesbeh Labokra… Chou? (What About Tomorrow?), Ziad focused his attention on the struggles of Lebanon's working class and their everyday hardships. Ziad's plays combined deep and complex subject matter with a dark fatalistic humour that dissected Lebanese society And in Film Ameriki Tawwil (The American Motion Picture), inspired by One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - he explored sectarianism and the division and despair it brought, criticising its discourse and exposing the banality of it in the middle of the Lebanese civil war. Ziad's plays - listened to religiously throughout the war and until today - combined deep and complex subject matter with a dark, fatalistic humour that dissected Lebanese society. They captured the absurdity and doomed reality of life in Lebanon under sectarian politics, class divides and war - themes that sadly have not lost their relevance today. The songs he composed for them - set to lush soundscapes with influences ranging from Brazilian, soul, funk, jazz and dabke - revealed his encyclopedic knowledge of music, and genius ability in arranging and composing, and fusing different styles and genres. The father of 'Oriental jazz' Ziad's timeless soundtracks came to define the sound of the leftist movement, and jokes and phrases from the plays seeped into everyday conversation, becoming part of the cultural fabric. His work was a guiding force in Lebanon's political consciousness. He shaped the leftist movements that he was part of with his ideas, radio shows, writings and music. Elias Rahbani: Eleven tracks that defined Lebanese musician's life and legacy Read More » Ziad's contribution to Lebanese and Arabic music was revolutionary - laying new foundations for its modernisation. He created his own musical world, always innovating and coming out with pioneering ideas that resulted in forward-thinking waves of music. He was a musical genius who was able to create his own distinct sound and identity, completely separate from the shadow of the Rahbani Brothers - his father Assi and uncle Mansour Rahbani - and his mother, Fairuz, who dominated the Lebanese music industry for decades. As an artist, his musical offering was difficult to categorise and define - elegant and complex yet subtle, gritty and experimental yet accessible, and never lacking in originality. Across his career, he covered the full spectrum of styles, from the Rahbani Brothers' classical sound to unusual bellydance records, Arabic jazz, funk, disco and soul to tarab, dabke, Brazilian, Latin and political protest music. He took elements of the genres he loved to compose new chapters in Arabic music that were distinctly Ziad. A true musical maverick, he was able to present his ideas in a way that immediately connected to his people. Ziad Rahbani was the father of 'Oriental jazz', the term he used (and later critiqued) when he fused Arabic and jazz music over several projects such as Houdou Nisbi and Behashakal, the sound later becoming part of his musical identity. While the greats of Arabic music had long brought a variety of international influences into their music, Ziad's contribution left an undeniable mark on contemporary Arabic music. We can trace the beginnings of Oriental jazz to Abu Ali - the 13-minute masterpiece, an Arabic jazz-funk instrumental version of the introduction for his 1974 play Abu Ali Al Asmarani. It was recorded in Athens with the 35-piece symphony orchestra of Greek radio at great cost, and released on the small and innovative independent label Zida run by Lebanese-Armenian producer Khatchik Mardirian, which put out all of Ziad's creative output for two years. Ziad even flew out members of his inner circle to be involved in the project, including the actor and singer Joseph Sakr, his close friend and longtime collaborator, and two members of the cult politically engaged group Firkat Al Ard, who he was working with at the time - guitarist Issam Hajali and jazz saxophonist and composer Toufic Farroukh. Ziad's productions brought Fairuz closer to the people, reshaping her sound for a rapidly changing Lebanon and wider Arab world Aimed at the global disco market, Abu Ali didn't break internationally at the time of its release in 1979, but the record displays Ziad's immense talent as a composer, and his perfectionism - sometimes to the point of obsession - when it came to instrumentation and arrangement. As Hajali told us in a previous interview about Abu Ali, "[Ziad] wrote everything. Nothing was accidental, everything was written, even the whisper". Forty years later, it has become a cult record, played on international radio stations and in the global underground clubbing scene. On the same trip to Greece, the music for Fairuz's 1979 album Wahdon was recorded. Also released on Zida, it was a landmark release for the iconic singer - the first to be entirely produced, composed and arranged by her son. Ziad's collaboration with Fairuz spanned decades. He revolutionised her sound, modernising it for a new generation and bringing a multitude of influences, from jazz and Brazilian, to her music across albums like Kifak Inta?, Maarifti Feek and Wala Keef?. Lebanese diva Fairuz (C) talks to her son, composer Ziad Rahbani (R), and Armenian conductor Karen Durgarian during rehearsals prior to their Dubai concert on 23 January 2003 (AFP) This transformation of Fairuz's musical style - paired with bold lyrics - was initially controversial to some across the Arabic-speaking world. It marked a sharp departure from the romantic folkloric style and weighty poetic lyricism that had defined the Rahbani Brothers' work, where Fairuz was positioned as the ethereal voice of a fictionalised ideal of Lebanon - elevating her to an untouchable sacred figure. Ziad's productions brought Fairuz closer to the people, reshaping her sound for a rapidly changing Lebanon and wider Arab world, and placing her as a modern evolving artist, rather than a nostalgic and static symbol to the past. Raw and uncompromising Ziad lived his life and made music in unwavering alignment with his vision and ideals - always raw and uncompromising. Ziad wasn't just a cultural giant, he was a lexicon, a mood, a feeling, at the very crux of Lebanese identity He kept a strong political and social consciousness to his work throughout his career, fighting against all forms of commercialism, consumerism and capitalism in music and society. He was deeply involved in Lebanon's political life, expressing strong - and often controversial - opinions about what was happening in the country and regionally through his articles, music, radio shows and interviews. His opinions, political analyses and cutting humour made reverberations throughout Lebanese society - even among his political opponents. Ziad didn't do things in half measures. Music and politics were his only worries. He lived a free life, on his own terms, and left the same way. But he wasn't just a cultural giant, Ziad was a lexicon, a mood, a feeling, at the very crux of Lebanese identity. With his death, his legend and the legacy he left behind will live on. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store