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He Looked At Me (Evelyne Hlais, Lebanon, 10min, 2023):

While watching a documentary about her hometown, Zgharta, filmed in 1966 during challenging and critical times, the filmmaker found a familiar face. To raise questions about image ownership and the village’s heritage, she decided to re-edit specific sequences from the documentary.

بينما كانت المخرجة تشاهد وثائقيًا عن مسقط رأسها، زغرتا، تم تصويره في عام 1966 خلال فترة صعبة وحرجة، لاحظت وجهًا مألوفًا بالصدفة.

 بعد مرور عدة سنوات، قررت إعادة تحرير مشاهد من الوثائقي الأصلي، متناولة موضوعات ملكية الصورة كما تثير هذه التجربة تساؤلات حول الّتراث.

Director’s statement: “In 2017, through a twist of fate, I stumbled upon a film from 1966 about my hometown Zgharta, and in a remarkable coincidence, my father happened to be passing by the projection room just as a close-up shot of his paternal grandfather shaving in the garden appeared. He exclaimed, “That’s my grandfather!” The footage was captured only a few years after a devastating massacre in Mezyara, a time marked by rampant revenge in Zgharta. The sight of my great-grandfather on screen left me wondering why they chose to film him, did he know he was being filmed, and does this act of being captured while shaving hold a significant meaning or bear witness to something of importance?

As I reflect on these images, I can’t help but question if I resemble him and what they truly signify for me.

Years later, I find myself enrolled in the “Cinéma Archives Mémoire” course given by Ghada Sayegh, and it becomes the perfect opportunity for me to create a film with the purpose of gaining “ownership” of the images of my village. What do these glimpses of the past reveal about my history, particularly at a time when I grapple with uncertainty about my true belonging, torn between the North and Beirut? What overwhelms me is the profound emotion that comes with being able to make my film using these images, perhaps restoring them to their rightful place – to my grandfather and father, but also to project these images in Zgharta.

As I look at the footage of my great-grandfather gazing back at me, I find myself asking not only questions about my family and our sense of belonging but also why this specific image from a distant past emerges and profoundly impacts me, seemingly by an extraordinary twist of fate.”

Memory of A Wedding (Taqwa Bint Ali x NOWNESS, Tunisia, 4min, 2025):

“Memories of a Wedding” is deeply inspired by the rich marriage traditions of Zarzis, my family’s hometown in Tunisia. In Zarzis, weddings are more than celebrations—they are profound cultural events, steeped in rituals that bring together generations, weaving a tapestry of love, community, and heritage. These ceremonies are not just about the union of two people; they are about the continuity of traditions, the honoring of ancestors, and the strengthening of familial bonds.

Director’s statement:

Growing up, I was immersed in this culture through family archives  —old wedding photos and grainy videos—each capturing the  vibrant energy and heartfelt moments of these gatherings. These images stayed with me, serving as a reminder of how deeply rooted these traditions are in our sense of identity.

This film is my way of paying homage to those memories and the culture that shaped them. Through “Memories of a Wedding,” I  wanted to explore how these traditions anchor us, how they keep us  connected to our origins, and how they continue to evolve without losing their essence.

For me, this story is not just a reflection of love and marriage—it’s a celebration of the unique way Zarzis views and preserves these values. It’s about honoring the past while bridging it to the present, creating something timeless that resonates across generations.

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Janitou (Amine Hattou – Algeria, Germany, Qatar / 81’ 52’’, 2020):

A Bollywood film became an unexpected sensation all over Algeria in the 80s. Following the nostalgia of this love story, “Janitou” explores what love means in today’s Algerian society and explores the emotional identity of a traumatized generation.

Amine – the director – sets out to discover what a once successful Bollywood film means today in Algeria. Through a radio show, he finds different stories. Lyes, a single man in his 40s, living with his mother, is trying to find real love. In the barbershop, his friends tell him to get married and stop dreaming.   Mehdi – who also lives with his mother – looked like the little boy from the Bollywood film as a child. His brother was murdered during the civil war. The mother glorifies her deceased son. Mehdi will never be able to fill out his footprints.   Lyes’s brother was also killed in the ’90; Lyes was sitting in the cinema when he found out. The nostalgia of the Bollywood film meets a society that is torn back and forth. Between anxiety and self-realization, between freedom and compulsion.