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Middle East Film Companies Team For Beirut Disaster Relief Screenings

Middle East distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment and the Kuwait National Cinema Company are partnering with Gulf arthouse venue Cinema Akil for the Beirut Disaster Relief Screenings.

Ziad Doueiri’s West Beirut and Nadine Labaki’s Where Do We Go Now? will screen today at Cinema Akil with repeat screenings this coming weekend, Friday August 14 and Saturday August 15. All proceeds from the ticket sales go to the Lebanese Red Cross relief efforts.

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The move comes after last week’s catastrophic explosion in Beirut which left more than 200 dead and thousands wounded. The damage leveled several acres of the capital city, leaving thousands of inhabitants homeless and without access to basic needs and resources. All this in a year where Lebanon’s currency devalued more than 80%, triggering huge protests and unrest.

“Both West Beirut and Where Do We Go Now are reflections of a Lebanese society that through unity, work to overcome the conditions of a volatile political geography,” reflected Front Row CEO Gianluca Chakra.

“These films also carry in them the scars felt by Lebanese that have lived and survived the war. I am part Lebanese and spent a large chunk of my youth in school and university in Beirut. Same applies to some of our team. The place is near and dear to our hearts. Seeing the damage from that explosion truly affected us all at Front Row and these screenings with our close partners Cinema Akil are a way for me to give back to my home country. I’m confident in Lebanon’s people and in their ability to always rise above tragedy and move forward.”

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