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Monday, Oct. 2, Méliès Cinema, 9:30 p.m.
(REPEAT) Thursday, Oct. 5, Postmodernissimo Cinema, 3:30 p.m.

Film details

Direction:Zakaria Jaber

Productor:Jumana Saadeh

Production:For Witness, Al Jazeera

Executive productors:Carlota Coloma, 15L Films

Editing:Zakaria Jaber

Sound:Agost Alustiza e Oriol Campi

Sound recording: Ralph Atallah

Camera assistant: Ahmad Al Trabolsi

Production assistants: Presica Chaar, Anna Asensio

Synopsis

In the ever-present desire to capture, record, and understand Beirut, and by extension himself, Zakaria has been trying to give a coherent story to his city.

It is through the intersectionality between the general & the personal, the public & private, the old & young, that we are able to answer: why are we anxious in Beirut?

Director's notes

I continued this project passionately because I was constantly witnessing strange and unpredictable incidents while documenting.
The circumstances in this film were constantly changing for all the characters involved. On a personal level, I questioned my own fate, which filled me with anxiety. What would happen to me?

Throughout the revolution, I documented it both as a journalist and as an active participant. My camera was my companion during the lockdown, financial struggles, the aftermath of the harbor explosion, and its impact on my life.

I strove to portray the daily battles that we, as Lebanese, endured to survive. This ongoing state of nervousness and living on the edge in Beirut revealed the answer to the question, 'What has happened?' and justified the pursuit of leaving the country.

Zakaria Jaber

Zakaria Jaber is a multi-talented director with a diverse range of skills and experiences that he himself developed and have shaped his career.
Zakaria is a photographer and videographer with a commitment to master visual storytelling, editing, and writing.
On the 17th of October 2019, as Zakaria was covering the first protests that led to the recent Lebanese revolution he captured one of the most famous photographs that was spread nation-wide and internationally over social media platforms and online and print publications.
“Anxious in Beirut” is his first documentary where he establishes himself as an accomplished director capable of delivering compelling and impactful visual narratives. The film won the best documentary award in Shanghai Film festival.
In 2023 he founded “Outcast Stories” a production house and a writing company.

Filmography

Premi e Festivals

2023
FESTIVAL – BEST DOCUMENTARY (GOLDEN GOBLET AWARD);
ECRANS DU REEL
SHANGHAI INTERNATIONAL FILM
FESTIVAL – BEST DOCUMENTARY.
MAINE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
AMMAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Zakaria Jaber