Films A to Z
Miguel's War
- Runtime:
- 128 min.
- Year of Production:
- 2021
- Country:
- Lebanon, Germany, Spain
- Director:
- Cast:
- Miguel Jleilaty
Maria Zabala Peña
Hashem Adnan
Majdi Machmouchi
Maya Yammine
François Nour
Ruben Cardoso - Production Company:
- ITAR productions, Kabinett films, zeitun films
- Berlinale Section:
- Panorama
- Berlinale Category:
- Documentary Film
In this portrait that is multi-layered both in terms of form and content, a gay man confronts the ghosts of his past and explores hidden longings, unrequited love and tormenting feelings of guilt. Miguel was born in 1963 to a conservative, Catholic Lebanese father and an authoritarian mother from a wealthy Syrian family. Numerous conflicts over his national, religious and sexual identity compelled him to flee to Spain in his early twenties. In post-Franco Madrid where he lived an openly gay existence, his life resembled one long Almodóvarian orgy, full of excess and sexual taboo-breaking. This was followed first by a collapse and then a new beginning. After fleeing war and repression 37 years ago, Miguel returns to Lebanon. In a mixture of re-enactments, animation, soul-searching interviews and archive material, the filmmaker and the filmed join forces to dissect old traumas and emotional injuries and explore possibilities of catharsis via a brand of self-scrutiny that holds nothing back.
BIOGRAFIE Eliane Raheb
Her first feature-length documentary, Sleepless Nights, premiered at the San Sebastian Film Festival and went on to screen at over 60 festivals around the world. Her second feature-length film, Those Who Remain, was also shown at numerous festivals and received several awards. She has twice been a DAAD artist-in-residence and is a founding member of the association Beirut DC which champions Arab cinema.
FILMOGRAFIE Eliane Raheb (selection)
2021 Miguel's War
2016 Mayyel ya ghzayyel (Those Who Remain)
2013 Hayda Lubnan (This is Lebanon)
2008 Hayda Lubnan (This is Lebanon)
2003 Intihar (Suicide)
2002 Karib baiid (So Near yet so Far)