The Middle East Institute and Filmfest DC are pleased to host the screening of Heritages by Lebanese filmmaker Philippe Aractingi.
In his self-described "autobiographical novel in images," the Lebanese filmmaker says, "I've always thought that seeing ourselves grow could help us understand our choices."
When a man must flee Lebanon for the third time in his life in the wake of the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, the relocation to Paris prompts him to delve into the history of his family, dislocated numerous times in the past by political and military upheavals. Mixing home movies and photographs with reenactments of his ancestors played by members of his family, as well as interviews with other relatives and friends, Heritages is a moving and powerful meditation on identity, choice, origins, and the strong bonds of family. From the director of the hit Lebanese film Bosta.
The film will be screened on Saturday, April 18 at 7:00pm at the Landmark E Street Cinema. There is a second screening at the theater on Friday, April 24 at 6:30pm.
Ticket purchase for the film must be made through the Filmfest DC website. Please find a link to the ticketing page by clicking the "Register" button on the right of this screen.
Biography:
Philippe Aractingi is a Franco–Lebanese film director born in Beirut. He has directed more than 40 films in a range of genres. After 12 years in France, he returned to Lebanon to direct Bosta, the country’s first post-war musical, which was screened at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2005. The film was a hit in Lebanon and throughout the Arab world, and was released in over 20 countries. His second feature film, Under the Bombs, won three prizes at the Venice Film Festival, the Golden Muhr, and the Best Actress award at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2007. Both of his films represented Lebanon at the Academy Awards. His third feature film, Heritages, premiered at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2013 and won the silver Hambra award in 2014, the audience award at the Arab Film Festival in San Francisco, and best director/editing at the 2015 Lebanese Movie Guide Awards.