Beirut: Eye of the Storm

It’s October 2019, and four progressive women are documenting the uprising in Beirut. They are journalist Hanine, Iraqi camerawoman Lujain, and Noel and Michelle, two artist sisters whose often-ironic songs have made them a voice for their generation. The prevailing mood is one of hope and change. But a few months later, Covid-19 has locked down the city, and all optimism seems to have evaporated.

This non-chronological account of a tumultuous period in recent Lebanese history loops back and forth between uprising and lockdown, with the four women calling each other and the film’s director Mai Masri on video. They express their opinions about current events and place them into historical perspective, but also offer glimpses into their personal lives.

The devastating blow of the explosion at the Port of Beirut, just ten months after the uprising, was still to come. Will the young women be able to hold onto their dream of a new Lebanon?