Screenings
August 25 22:10
DEBATOUN GUESTHOUSE
Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano
Lebanon/Germany, 2023, 87’
in Arabic w/Arm./Eng.subtitles
Director: Cyril Aris
Producers: Myriam Sassine, Katharina Weser
Cinematographer: Joe Saade, Cyril Aris
Editor: Nadia Ben Rachid, Cyril Aris
In the aftermath of the catastrophic explosion on 4 August 2020 in Beirut, a film crew is facing a serious dilemma: should they defy the chaos and move forward with the shooting of their film or surrender to the multiple crises that are spreading all over the country? This film captures their relentless battle to keep making cinema in a shattered city.
Awards
Special Jury Mention, Karlovy Vary Film Festival, Czech Republic, 2023; À Punt Audience Award, Mostra de Valencia, Spain, 2023; Audience Award, Festival dei Popoli, Italy, 2023.
Cyril Aris is a Lebanese director & screenwriter and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He holds an MFA from Columbia University in the City of New York and has taught Film at Columbia University, NHSI at Northwestern University, and Barnard College. His debut feature documentary, The Swing (2018) premiered at the Karlovy Vary IFF and won awards in El-Gouna, Rome, London, Budapest, and Tunisia. His last fiction short film, The President’s Visit (2017), premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) won awards in Dubai, Nashville, and the US National Board of Review, and played in over 70 festivals. His latest feature documentary Dancing on the Edge of Volcano (2023) premiered in the Main Competition of the 57th Karlovy Vary IFF, where it won a jury special mention.
Filmography
The President’s Visit (2017), The Swing (2019), Beating Hearts (2020), Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano (2023).