2020 may have been a difficult year for most of us, but a pandemic is just one of a series of obstacles Lebanese people have faced in the last few months.
Last October saw a series of 100 forest fires break out across the nation, the devastating incident was followed by huge drop in value of the Lebanese pound. Not long after, COVID-19 began wreaking havoc, overwhelming the public health systems and killing over 500 Lebanese and counting.
Things took a turn for the worst in August when an explosion occurred at the port of Beirut, destroying homes, tearing apart families and abolished some of the capital’s most important infrastructures.
Thankfully, the world showed up in support of the struggling nation. Multi-billion dollar streaming giant Netflix is among the latest to step up. Days after the company announced a $500,000 relief fund for Lebanon’s TV and film industry, they revealed a curated collection of 34 Lebanese films under the label ‘Made in Lebanon’.
The catalogue features films from some of Lebanon’s finest film producers and directors, including Nadine Labaki’s cult-favourite Caramel, Oscar-nominated Capernaum, and her seminal film, Where Do We Go Now?
Other noteworthy films that made the roster include Beirut Oh Beirut, directed by Maroun Bagdadi and Very Big Shot, directed by Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya.
The ‘Made in Lebanon’ list includes:
Bel Ghalat by Seif Al Sheikh Najib
Bighamdet Ein by Seif Al Sheikh Najib
Habbet Caramel by Elie F Habib
Max W Antar by Imad Jandali Al Rifa’i
Nut$ by Henri Barges
Tallatit by Kristian Abouanni
Welcome to Lebanon by Saif Al Sheikh Najib
I Want to See by Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige
A Perfect Day by Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige
Caramel by Nadine Labaki
Capernaum by Nadine Labaki
Where Do We Go Now? by Nadine Labaki
Out of Life by Maroun Bagdadi
The Little Wars by Maroun Bagdadi
Whispers by Maroun Bagdadi
We are all for the Fatherland by Maroun Bagdadi
Beyrouth ya Beyrouth by Maroun Bagdadi
Single, Married, Divorced by Elie Khalife
Heritages by Philippe Aractingi
Listen by Philippe Aractingi
Bosta by Philippe Aractingi
Under the Bombs by Philippe Aractingi
Khabsa by Shady Hanna
Ghadi by Amin Dora
Zozo by Josef Fares
Panoptic by Rana Eid
The Kite by Randa Chahal Sabbag
Taxi Ballad by Daniel Joseph
West Beirut by Ziad Doueiri
Very Big Shot by Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya
Heaven without People by Lucien Bourjeily
Stray Bullet by Georges Hachem
Solitaire by Sophie Boutros
Incendies by Denis Villeneuve
