DUBAI: Lebanese director Nadine Labaki revealed at the El Gouna Film Festival that she is “filming everything” in Beirut since the Aug. 4 blast.
The Oscar-nominated director added that she doesn’t “know where it’s going to lead, or if it will ever lead anywhere,” but that she needs to “capture what’s been happening,” according to Variety.
On Aug. 4, nearly three tons of neglected ammonium nitrate detonated in the capital city’s port, leaving 190 dead, more than 6,500 injured and 300,000 without a home. Despite the tragedy, Labaki is hopeful.
“Lebanon has always been functioning without a government. That is the only hope I still have of rebuilding the country,” Labaki stated.
Labaki first became a star in 2007 after the release of her debut film, “Caramel” – a soapy movie about five women who bond in a Beirut salon.
Her most recent film, “Capernaum,” shed light on Beirut’s grinding poverty. Set against the backdrop of the city’s overcrowded, sprawling slums, the 2018 film, which made its international debut at Cannes and was nominated for an Oscar in the international feature film category, beautifully captures the pre-existing chaos of present-day Beirut.
Though it’s unclear how Labaki’s footage will take form, one can certainly expect a harrowing and moving piece of cinema, if her past work is any indication.
