Lebanon – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

DO YOU LOVE ME – Review by Sarah Ward

July 7, 2026July 21, 2026 Sarah Ward beirut, compilation documentary, Do You Love Me, Lana Daher, Lebanon, Qutaiba Barhamji

Is it possible to paint a definitive portrait of any country, city, chapter of the past or even moment? Do You Love Me has an answer, and also is an answer. The remarkable debut feature from Lana Daher, who co-writes with editor Qutaiba Barhamji, this essayistic documentary springs from a void: as the film’s opening text advises viewers, contemporary history is not taught in schools in Lebanon. To explore and chronicle the nation’s recent experiences, then, Daher and Barhamji splice together media from over 20,000 sources, such as movies, fellow docos, TV, music, podcasts, publications, photographs, news footage, found footage and home videos. Their resulting collage weaves and sways through snippets from its Beirut-focused treasure trove, and between years, like a dance — that act of physical expression that, every second that it takes place, conveys shapes, forms, movements and emotions with immediacy and passion yet is always and inescapably subjective.

Reviews

COSTA BRAVA, LEBANON – Review by Lois Alter Mark

July 4, 2022July 4, 2022 Lois Alter Mark Costa Brava, Costa Brava Lebanon, lebanese films, Lebanon, Mounia Akl, Nadia Charbel, nadine labaki, Saleh Bakri

Let’s talk trash. Costa Brava, Lebanon, the excellent feature film debut from director Mounia Akl, in which Beirut has become a “living hell” due to its garbage crisis. is a thoughtful and compassionate portrait of a family caught up in an environmental crisis caused by its corrupt government. After a week in which our own Supreme Court dealt a major blow to the planet, it seems sadly fitting to see that no matter how hard you try to avoid your country’s garbage, it literally ends up right at your front door.