Saturday 7th October 2017
Shirin Abushaqra, Mounia Akl, Ahmad Ghossein, Una Gunjak, Rami Kodeih, Lucie la Chimia, Manuel Maria Perrone and Neto Villalobos
Lebanon is a tapestry, a mosaic of religions and spheres of influence, its representatives all attempting to co-habit while competing for control over a country even its own citizens have compared in size and deadliness to a scorpion's genitals. As such, this portmanteau collection of four short films from eight Lebanese directors is a fitting snapshot of life in a country as defined by its natural beauty and irresistible human spirit as it is its seemingly intrinsic dysfunction. The four stories range between the tale of a Lebanese man pretending to be a Syrian migrant in order to smuggle his way into Europe and an unfortunate encounter between an octopus and an intrepid swimmer, and pretty much everything in between. Together, they reflect the multiplicity of voices and characters in this boisterous, bustling country.