Film screening as part of exhibition Before the Cypress Broke – presented by Void Gallery in partnership with Beirut Art Residency (BAR).
As part of the exhibition Before the Cypress Broke, Void will present four films from Lebanon selected by Jowe Harfouche who has said:
“This program showcases four films from Lebanon that predate the moment of extreme collapse and systemic unraveling the country has been enduring. Together, these documentaries render a portrait of Beirut, euphoric, oppressive, anxious, nostalgic, that unsettles the ‘before and after’ dichotomy. Each of them plays this not-so-incidental double role of archiving a very precise moment in our modern past all the while speculating potentialities for our future.
From depicting marginalisation across sect and class, to the histories of political organising and rebellion against neoliberal and authoritarian practices, to the fears and dreams of the residents of Beirut under a despotic regime, these four films, that also question and rethink the documentary form, are ever so timely.”
The second film Guardians of Time Lost will be shown on the 24th of April at 19:30. It is free of charge and you can book here.
Diala Kashmar’s Guardians of Time Lost is a documentary following a group of marginialised young men known as the ‘thugs of Al Liga’ neighbourhood. They define the features of that chaotic neighborhood in Beirut, and reveal a mysterious world which carries within its folds the particular complexities of social and political realities in Lebanon.
Diala Kachmar Biography
Diala Kachmar is a Lebanese Producer and Filmmaker. She holds a BA in Dramatic Arts from the Lebanese University. After graduation in 2000, Kachmar worked as an actress in a number of films and theater plays. Since 2005, she has worked in directing and producing documentary films and TV programs, mainly for Al Jazeera.
In 2013 Kachmar was awarded the Special Jury Prize for her first feature documentary Guardians of Time Lost at the Dubai International Film Festival 2013, and the Award of Excellence at Canada International film festival 2015. In 2015 Kachmar produced The Road a feature narrative directed by the Lebanese filmmaker Rana Salem. The road was awarded the Fipresci Award at the Moscow International film festival 2015. In 2017 Kachmar produced Martyr, a feature narrative directed by the Lebanese filmmaker Mazen Khaled, which was the first Arab project to be supported by the Venice Biennale College-Cinema, and premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in 2017. From 2015-2019, She has produced 4 seasons of a Lebanese TV series Beirut Waw, directed by Fadi Nassereddine.
Kachmar is currently producing North, a feature narrative by the Lebanese director Selim Mourad (developing stage) and The Journey of Sylvana and Mohammed, a feature documentary by Maher Abi Samra (post Production stage).
Acknowledgements
Void Gallery is supported using public funding from Arts Council Northern Ireland, Department of Communities, The National Lottery Community Fund, Derry City and Strabane District Council, Enkalon Foundation, Ragdoll Foundation, COVID 19 Charities Fund, Art Fund, The Arts Society, Community Foundation NI, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Garfield Weston Foundation.
Void Gallery is also a member of the PlusTate network.
