Documentary screenings in Beirut reflect city's grief and exodus amid crisis

In July 2021, two documentary films screened in Beirut as part of Metropolis Cinema's 'Écrans du réel' festival provided a lens on the city's profound losses. Sung-A Yoon's 'Overseas' (2019) follows Filipino women training for domestic work abroad, including in Beirut. Mohamed Soueid's 'The Insomnia of a Serial Dreamer' (2020), an 18-year project, features conversations about love, cinema, and a fading Beirut. The screenings occurred during Lebanon's severe financial crisis, aftermath of the August 2020 port explosion, and a pandemic, with the author noting a widespread exodus. The films highlighted themes of departure and nostalgia, viewed in a cinema offering rare air-conditioned respite during fuel shortages and power cuts. The author, Rayya Badran, connects the films to the need to mourn losses and continue labor fights from the October 2019 uprisings.