'Diaries From Lebanon' is a joint production between Lebanon, France, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
Lebanese filmmaker Myriam El Hajj’s feature-length documentary Diaries From Lebanon is set to make a significant impact with screenings at five different festivals throughout June.
MAD Solutions has picked up the worldwide rights to feature the documentary Diaries From Lebanon.
The tour began with an in-competition screening at the Geneva International Oriental Film Festival on June 13, where director Myriam El Hajj was present to introduce her work.
The documentary then travelled to the UK for the Arts of Lebanon Festival, where it was showcased on June 16. Following its UK screening, Diaries From Lebanon made its way to China for its Asian premiere at the Shanghai International Film Festival’s Panorama Section on June 19.
In France, the film was featured at the Champs Elysées Film Festival, competing for the Longs Métrages Français Prix Du Jury. It had two screenings, the first on June 22 at Room 2 of PublicisCinémas and the second on June 24 at Room 1 of The Lincoln.
The tour will conclude with the film’s Polish premiere at the Tofifest – Toruń International Film Festival, as part of the Independent Women section, on June 26 at 7 pm.
Diaries From Lebanon has also recently been screened at two Canadian festivals: The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival and the Doxa Documentary Film Festival. Additionally, it was featured at the Visions du Réel International Film Festival in Switzerland.
The docudrama, set in Lebanon, uses the format of diaries to narrate four tumultuous years of a nation in turmoil. As the country grapples with disruptions, personal quests for meaning and survival unfold. The film poses the poignant question: How can we continue to dream when the world around us is collapsing?
Written, directed, and co-lensed by El Hajj alongside Jihad Saadé and Mohamed Siam, Diaries From Lebanon was produced by Sassine of Abbout Productions and Ruszniewski of GoGoGo Films. The documentary features author and activist Joumana Haddad, Lebanese war veteran Georges Moufarej, and artist and activist Perla Joe Maalouli. It was edited by Anita Perez and Stéphanie Sicard.
Myriam El Hajj is an accomplished Lebanese filmmaker whose first feature-length documentary, A Time to Rest, premiered at Visions du Réel-Nyon in 2015 and screened at numerous international festivals, garnering multiple awards.
Currently, El-Haj is working on the feature film Commedia, exploring the fall of a social class and the legacy of the past.