The rebirth of cinema in Lebanon

In Lebanon, the film industry has suffered greatly in recent years. The sector has also faced other dramas and crises. In the face of these upheavals, cinema is trying itself anew, and its players are betting on collaboration and sharing.

It is in the narrow and peaceful streets of Mina, in Tripoli, in which an international cinema festival has been held for 10 years.

Nested in Lebanon and the Mediterranean’s poorest city, the Tripoli Film Festival celebrated its anniversary between September 21 and 29.

"These struggles include the thawra (revolution) in 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic, the explosion of the port of Beirut in August 2020 and a multidimensional crisis"

Every year, a wide selection of films and shorts are screened at the cultural venue, Beit el Fan, hosted inside a building built by the Crusaders in the 12th century.

Founder Elias Ekhlat wants to "decentralise culture" from Beirut, especially as cultural life in Lebanon is almost entirely centralised in Beirut.  

“Yet, there were seven universities which taught cinema in 2018, in a city with no cinema,” Elias tells The New Arab.

To fill the gap, Elias along with his friends decided to establish an international programme that includes a wide selection of short films, showcasing talent from the north of the country.

Against all odds, the festival stood as a symbol of the industry's struggle in Lebanon. These struggles include the thawra (revolution) in 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic, the explosion of the port of Beirut in August 2020 and a multidimensional crisis.

As a result, production and other facilities have been wiped out, the Lebanese pound has lost 95% of its value, and 82% of the population lives below the poverty line.

In the face of this situation, artists remain and reinvent themselves; proposing new ideas for making cinema, sharing films, and, above all, rediscovering lost spaces.

What the crisis has changed 

Professionals in the sector are clear: the situation has always been difficult, and the film industry hasn't waited for the crisis to create films cobbled together with few resources.

"Since 2019, there have been problems with electricity, finding money, not being able to get a loan from the bank, etc.," says Charlotte Schwarzinger, who is writing her PhD on Lebanese cinema between 2019 and 2023.

"It's not just the filmmakers who have left, technicians and people with unique and essential skills"

The ones who have the chance jump on the opportunity to leave the country and those who remain in Lebanon are stuck with dreams of a better life abroad.

Given the current crisis, experts talk about a third major wave of emigration in the country's history. "It's not just the filmmakers who have left, technicians and people with unique and essential skills," Charlotte adds. 

Beyond the disorienting departures, there's also the inability to project oneself into the future. "A film takes years to make, so how can you project yourself when everything around you is uncertain?" asks the researcher.

New ideas

As a result of the crises, moments and spaces to share and get together have been completely cut off. And that’s where new initiatives come in.

Still in Tripoli, in the busy and lively Tell Square, the Empire cinema was rehabilitated by the Tiro Association for Arts (TAA) in 2022.

The venue is one of the last five remaining historic cinemas still standing in the city. Popular movies are screened every day for free.

"We're so desperate for money that we're working together, locally"

On the other hand, in the capital city of Beirut, the places and activities are plentiful: Nation Station, the cinema club of the Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts (ALBA), FUEL, the Barzakh café-library's film evenings, which screen independent films or the Fondation Liban Cinéma. 

It has been launched to support Lebanese cinema and put professionals in touch with each other. According to Charlotte, these initiatives encourage dialogue and counter the lack of funds: "We're so desperate for money that we're working together, locally."

The spirit of cinema

Collaborative working is second nature to Sabine Sidawi. "I've always worked that way. I don't like competition," says the documentary and feature film producer with a reassuring smile.

Based in Beirut, she belongs to a cinema cooperative set up in 2020, two weeks after the port explosion. "The revolution taught us not to wait for solutions that are not heaven-sent, but to find them together," she explains in the huge apartment rented for the cooperative in the Furn el Chebbak district.

Today, the cooperative groups 7 people and will be able to bring up 25 to 30 film professionals together to share knowledge and experience, and support each other in the quest for work and funds.

"The important thing is that we get together and stop the brain drain. We all have expertise, but we each work for ourselves," she shares.

For the producer, "working together is the spirit of filmmaking." And this sharing is second nature to her: "I've always worked that way. I don't like competition.”

Sidawi is determined: "You have to have hope. It doesn't take much to make films, contrary to what capitalism would have us believe. We have to do things differently.” She dreams this cooperative model will replicate throughout Lebanon and that the cooperative will be "self-sufficient in 3 years."

The IMDB of Lebanese cinema

A few neighbourhoods away, in Mar Mikhaël, Hania Mroué, the charismatic director of the Metropolis Art Cinema Association, shares their new project.

Promoting cinema in Lebanon, the organisation has always supported the protection of memory throughout retrospectives and so naturally set about creating a cinematheque.

"I call it an IMDB of Lebanese cinema," she smiles. Currently, only a list of Lebanese films and directors is available on their website. 

"After we launched the site, people called to ask how they could watch the films," says Hania Mroué. It's how the idea of having a place for the film library came about. For now, the films are only available on a server for consultation on the Mar Mikhaël premises.

"The dream would be to one day have the means to make physical copies of these films and preserve them," she continues.

Today, the director is thinking about ways of working with other professionals. For the director, the future lies in collaboration: "We're not competing but complementing each other. The needs are so great that there's plenty of room," she asserts.

Lebanese cinema is more cautious, less financed, working in smaller circles and with local partners, all the while pooling knowledge. It’s using its survival tactics more than ever to create a revolution in the minds.

Marine Caleb is a French freelance journalist living in Tripoli. Having lived for many years in Quebec, she runs the media professionals' magazine Le Trente, writes for various Canadian media, and specialises in migration and gender issues

Follow her on Twitter: @MarineCaleb