This is a kind of Lebanese Romeo and Juliet story with a twist. Joud, a passionate sound engineer, falls for wealthy, extroverted Rana. After an accident, the two—from completely different social and religious backgrounds—are separated by her parents, who soon close ranks and forbid any contact, leaving Joud to find new ways to communicate with her. Set in contemporary Beirut, Listen is a surprisingly sensual film that moves away from filmmaker Philippe Aractingi’s (Heritages) previous focus on war-related themes to take on issues such as family rivalries, the waste crisis, politics, the weight of traditions, and the changing role of women. And it’s suffused with vibrant sound. As the title reminds us, you will want to pay attention.
Listen
Listen
Q&A filmmaker Philippe Aractingi
Tickets: $9 (members), $14 (nonmembers)
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Q&A filmmaker Philippe Aractingi
Thursday, Sep. 27 2018, 7:15
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Philippe Aractingi was born in Lebanon. He came of age during the civil war and worked as a war photographer. As the war intensified, he moved to France and got a job in production. In 1992 he returned to Lebanon, producing two documentaries, Through Mothers’ Eyes and Beirut of Stones and Memories. His first feature, Bosta (2005), was a musical road movie about postwar Lebanon. In the aftermath of the 2006 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, Aractingi took his camera with two professional actors and headed to South Lebanon. Over two days, his actors interacted with real civilians, soldiers, and rescue teams to produce Under the Bombs, a fictional story in a real-life setting, which was selected for the Venice Film Festival, Sundance, and the Dubai International Film Festival and won 23 awards. Bosta and Under the Bombs were both Lebanon’s submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. For his third documentary, Heritages (2013) Aractingi narrated the exile of his own family across four generations and 100 years of history. He is a founding member of the Fondation Liban Cinema and is vice president of the board of the Screen Institute Beirut. Listen is his third feature.
This film is part of the Contemporary Arab Cinema 2018 series.
Presented with generous support from:
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