Tales of the Wounded Land

synopsis

For several minutes, the camera circles above a city that has been reduced to ruins. But not all life has been wiped out. A procession of people dressed in black walks through the devastated streets, carrying coffins on their shoulders. The new film by acclaimed director Abbas Fahdel is a testimony to the destruction caused by the Israeli bombing of southern Lebanon at the end of 2024, but also to the resilience of the civilian population. The community is shaken, gripped by grief. Nevertheless, the locals are determined to preserve their culture and rebuild their destroyed homes. The mosaic of everyday scenes is interspersed with the director's poems, which become a symbol of resistance against hopelessness. The same is true of the shots of Fahdel's daughter. Her laughter and games among the ruins are reminders of the spark of life.

“This was not meant to be a film about the war, but from the war, within the war, and about what it leaves behind: the rubble, of course, but also invisible fractures, tightened bonds, acts of solidarity, and the personal wounds carried deep inside, often left unspoken.” — Abbas Fahdel

biography

Abbas Fahdel (born 1959) is an Iraqi-French director, screenwriter, and film critic. In his documentaries, such as Homeland (Iraq Year Zero) (2015) and Bitter Bread (2019), he primarily captures everyday life in politically unstable Middle Eastern countries such as Iraq and Lebanon.

film details

director:	Abbas Fahdel
producer:	Abbas Fahdel, Nour Ballouk
script:	Abbas Fahdel
photography:	Abbas Fahdel
editing:	Abbas Fahdel
sound:	Abbas Fahdel, Victor Bresse