ARABIAN SIGHTS
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Beirut: Eye of the Storm

Beirut fi Ain al Assifa

MAI MASRI
Lebanon, France, 2021
75 minutes, Color

What if they gave a revolution and Covid came? Shortly after the October 2019 demonstrations in Beirut aimed at toppling Lebanon's corrupt government, the streets that had exploded with chanting and hope (followed by tear gas and gunfire) were eerily quiet. The pandemic put optimism in lockdown, and the country's economy was in freefall. Four female journalist-artists reflect on that whiplash effect in this captivating documentary. They are Hanine, a winningly self-analytical reporter; Iraqi camerawoman Lujain, liberated from an oppressive upbringing only to be locked in again; and wildly creative sisters Michelle and Noel, YouTube stars of the resistance. While revolution may be fun for a day or three, in intimate conversations these women address the humiliation of living under corruption. They are among the lucky ones who can record, process, and make art from it, by way of changing it: "Whoever has a voice should make it heard."—Judy Bloch

In Arabic with English subtitles