Tannoura Maxi is a new Lebanese movie that debuted in theaters yesterday, and tells the story of a priest about to be ordained but falls in love of a high-heeled girl.
Regardless how good this movie might be, it is yet another Lebanese movie with a story taking place during the war, and I guess people are fed up with this repetitive pattern in Lebanese movies. I mean we’ve enjoyed the first few ones like West Beirut, but the topic has been used and abused! Wouldn’t you prefer to watch Lebanese movies of other genre?
Metropolis cinema will be holding a cinematic event called “Scrapbook: A month of Lebanese cinema” featuring 8 independent Lebanese films to be screened over a period of 6 weeks (more like a month and a half actually) starting May 3rd with “Sector Zero” by Nadim Mishlawi.
Below is the film schedule as announced by Metropolis if you’re interested. Each film will be running daily for 2 weeks from their starting date.
May 3: Sector Zero
Dir. Nadim Mishlawi. 70mins. Lebanon and U.A.E. Arabic with English subtitles. A documentary and investigation into the derelict area of Quarantina and how it Lebanese collective memory. 3.00pm, 5.00p, 7.30pm, 10.00pm.
May 10: Gate #5
Dir. Simon El Habre. 84mins. Lebanon and U.A.E. Arabic with English subtitles. Ambitious and young Lebanese leave their villages and head to the exciting big cities during the 1960’s and 70’s. 2.30pm, 5.30pm, 8.00pm, 10.30pm.
May 17: The Three Disappearances of Soad Hosni
Dir. Rania Stephan. 70mins. Lebanon. Arabic with English subtitles. In tribute to the famed Egyptian actress, this film documents Hosni’s life using archival footage from her films. 3.00pm, 5.00pm, 7.30pm.
May 24: My Father Is Still A Communist
Dir. Ahmad Ghosein. 32mins. Lebanon and U.A.E. Arabic with English subtitles. A son invents stories about his ‘war hero’ father, with the help of old cassette tapes and love letters written during the civil war. 4.15pm, 7.15pm, 9.45pm.
May 31: It’s All in Lebanon
Dir. Wissam Charaf. 62mins. Lebanon and U.A.E. Arabic with English subtitles. Lebanon’s struggle to rebuild the country and it’s survivors both physically and mentally after countless years of war and occupation. 2.30pm, 5.30pm, 8.00pm, 10.30pm.
May 31: Marcades
Dir Hady Zaccak. 68mins. Lebanon. Arabic with English subtitles. 60 years of Lebanese history are entwined with the German-Lebanese Marcedes’ family’s Mercedes Ponton. 3.00pm, 5.00pm, 7.30pm, 10.00pm.
June 14: Yamo
Dir. Rami Nihawi. 70mins. Lebanon. Arabic with English subtitles. A surreal dreamscape dealing with the problematic transience of memory and imagination. 3.00pm, 5.00pm, 7.30pm, 10.00pm.
June 14: Ok, Enough, Goodbye
Dir. Rania Attieh and Daniel Garcia. 93mins. Lebanon. Arabic with English subtitles. A Tripoli man is left with nothing but the comfort of the city when his elderly mother abruptly leaves him. 2.30pm, 5.30pm, 8.00pm, 10.30pm.
Tickets will be selling for 8,000 L.L. Student price is 5,000 L.L, and a Scrapbook pass is for 40,000 L.L
Look like there has been an update on the issue of “33 Days” movie being banned at several theaters in Beirut with Carmen Lebbos announcing in an interview on Talk of the Town last night that ABC Achrafieh will start screening it as of this week, while City Mall still have not provided a confirmation whether the movie will be screened at their theaters or not.
With all that fuss being made over the contribution of Iranians in the movie production, imagine the drama that could have been made if this was a 100% Iranian movie!
33 Days is a Lebanese movie taking place in the summer of 2006 when Israel launched its war on Lebanon after Hezbollah succeeded in capturing two Israeli soldiers on the borders.
This is the second movie about the 2006 war after “Under the bombs“, and portrays what people who were resisting the Israeli invasion were going through in the town of Aita El Shaab.
However, since Iranians have contributed in its production, the movie has been banned from showing in Lebanon’s most popular theaters like Empire, City Mall, and Grand Cinemas ABC and is currently being shown at Planete Abraj, Concord, Las Salinas, and Saida Mall. What a shame!
I bet you’ve experienced waiting in line at the popular movies theaters in Beirut especially Grand Cinemas ABC and Cinemacity City Mall. The waiting time is basically due to the fact that shows for blockbuster movie get fully booked very quickly, and so when one’s turn arrives at the box office and get surprised that there’s no more seats for M:I-4 let’s say, he’ll take at least half a minute to decide on an alternative movie to watch. And that applies for the next 10 people waiting in front of you…
Wouldn’t be better if these theaters display a small counter next to showtime listings telling the number of remaining seats for each show? It would definitely help people decide beforehand which movie to watch, and reduce the long queues at the box office.
Danielle Arbid just posted on her Facebook page that her new movie “Beirut Hotel“, which was scheduled to be released on January 19th 2011, will banned because it endangers Lebanon’s security!
I JUST BEEN NOTIFIED THAT MY LATEST FEATURE FILM BEIRUT HOTEL CANNOT BE SHOWN IN LEBANON ! ITS RELEASE IN BEIRUT, ORGINALLY SCHEDULED FOR 19 JANUARY 2012, HAS JUST BEEN CANCELLED. THE CENSORSHIP COMMITTEE ARGUED THAT : “THE FILM WOULD ENDANGER LEBANON’S SECURITY.”
PLEASE SPREAD THE NEWS AND MOBILISE AGAINST MIDDLE AGES CENSORSHIP. I NEED YOUR SUPPORT…
What a shame! As if the irresponsible statements (or farts?) our politicians make don’t endanger Lebanon’s security every single day!
Update (December 12, 2011):
The Daily Star published today that the movie was banned because it mentions the assassination of ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri!
2011 might have started with lousy movies like Sorry Mom, but I guess it’s ending with promising ones. We previously got Nadine Labaki’s “Where do we go now?” late in September, and below is the trailer of a new movie called “Beirut Hotel” or “بيروت بالليل” by Danielle Arbid that I just saw on YouTube. Anyone has an idea if it’ll make it to the Lebanese theaters anytime soon?
One evening, a married young singer Zoha meets the French lawyer Mathieu in a night club in Beirut. Mathieu will become suspected of spying, while Zoha is trying to flee from her husband. Despite these problems, the two will witness a love story for few days mixed with violence and fear.
