Il était une fois Beyrouth ‘histoire d’une Star’

Fictional documentary in memory of Beirut, partly composed of archive footage – comprising both real and fictional material. The leitmotiv is formed by two young women walking through present-day Beirut looking for the unknown Beirut, Beirut before the war. Director : ‘Beirut was for a long time the Eastern favourite of the West. It was a city for people of all cultures, a trading centre, amusement centre, but also a city with a mythical attraction. My film shows fragments from both Eastern and Western films shot in Beirut. It’s good to see how Western directors strengthen the mythical side and turn the city into a “star”, while clinging onto the clichés about Lebanon, Arabs and the Near East.’