In this episode of Kawalis, recorded in afikra's studio in Beirut, Ely Dagher unravels his relationship with the city of Beirut through film. We talk about his two films Waves '98 – which won Cannes's Palme D'Or for Short Film – and The Sea Ahead, released in 2021. Ely explains how he tries to portray the way Beirut feels rather than how it looks, grappling with the false dichotomy of leaving and staying, and how he's inclined to make films that are about love, community, and finding ways to make sense of life even when it feels like you have no control. While shedding light on his creative process, he touches on his frustrations with the Lebanese film industry (or lack thereof) and the toxic influence of European cinema funding — recounting the time he was told by a European panel that his film wasn't "Lebanese" enough.

0:00 Introduction
0:53 Making “Waves” & Connecting with Beirut
7:00 Background & Training
12:59 Portraying Beirut through Film
16:25 Snippet 1: Waves '98 Trailer
18:28 Looking Back at Waves '98
19:20 Snippet 2: The Sea Ahead Trailer
21:16 Making The Sea Ahead
24:30 “Coming Back” to Beirut
27:10 Quick Summary of The Sea Ahead
33:32 Is Having Context of Beirut & Lebanon Necessary To Understand "The Sea Ahead"?
34:55 The Role & Influence of European Funding on the Region’s Film Industry
40:50 Identifying As Global “Local”
43:14 Reception From Different Arab Audiences
45:06 5 Main Sources of Inspiration
48:15 Collaboration with Mayssa Jallad
50:35 Current Projects & Relationship With the Sea

Ely Dagher is a Lebanese director, screenwriter and artist known for his Palme D'Or awarded short film Waves '98 and his first feature film The Sea Ahead which had its premiere at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.

Connect with Ely 👉   / elydagher  

Theme music: Peninsular, Tarek Yamani 🔊 https://spoti.fi/47I59ns
Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna 👉   / mikey_mu  

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