Film Archive

Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano

Crystal Globe Competition 2023 / Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano / Germany, Lebanon 2023

Synopsis

A catastrophic explosion in the Port of Beirut on August 4, 2020, devastated not only a large part of the Lebanese capital, but also what remained of its inhabitants’ hopes for a dignified life in a country without corruption. The trauma also paralyses a film crew in the middle of production. The question of whether to keep on pursuing their dream project becomes increasingly obtrusive. And what of destiny, and its near-fatal impediments? A film about (the genesis of) a film; a vivid account of the state of an exquisite, ailing country; a dramatic ballad depicting a terrible dilemma: Should one remain in a beloved homeland, even if this means living below the threshold of human dignity? Should one press on with a journey rendered in the words of Lebanese poet Nadia Tueni: “I choose the sea in spite of shipwrecks”?

Karel Och

About the film

87 min / Color, DCP
World premiere
Director Cyril Aris / Screenplay Cyril Aris / Dir. of Photography Joe Saade / Music Anthony Sahyoun / Sound Victor Bresse / Editor Nadia Ben Rachid, Cyril Aris / Producer Myriam Sassine, Katharina Weser / Production Reynard Films, Abbout Productions / Sales Salaud Morisset / Contact Abbout Productions, Brigitta Portier, Gary Walsh

About the director

Cyril Aris (1987, Beirut, Lebanon). Selected filmography: Beirut, I Love You (2011–12, TV series), Siham (2013, short), Farewell (2013, short), The President’s Visit (2017, short), The Swing (Al Marouhja, 2018, doc.), Beating Hearts (2020, short doc.), Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano (2023, doc.).