We The People Film Festival - Lost in Lebanon
LOST IN LEBANON gains access to unknown stories in a region that is on the fringes of hell. Spending over a year in Lebanon, in Beirut and on the borders of Syria, this film tells the story behind the news reports and reflects the strange chaotic lives of the people living in the shadow of the Syrian war.
Interview with Director/Producer Georgia Scott & Sophia Scott
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
For us, first and foremost, we believe in the power of the moving image. Having spent a decade making films with people and communities affected by conflict we felt, more than ever, the need to play an active role in documenting the ongoing effects of the Syrian war and to give a voice to those who just become numbers on our screens.
Through the making of our first feature documentary In the Shadow of War in 2012 we witnessed the ongoing effects of conflict on the Bosnian youth even 20 years after the war had finished. From our experience in Bosnia we went to Lebanon with the question in mind of what lay ahead for the Syrian youth and the generations to follow. We also noticed that much of the human story was being lost in news reports especially regarding Syrian refugees and the daily struggles they face daily. As a result, we wanted to give some kind of dignity and a human face to the vast numbers of fleeing Syrians. Lebanon’s role as a small neighbouring country hosting over a million Syrian refugees, the highest per capita in the world, was an area we were drawn to further explore.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Lost in Lebanon is so important because it gives a personal voice to those we rarely hear from and gives a face to the thousands of refugees we see on our TV screens. We also believe that through the narratives of our four characters the film reaffirms that people do not willingly want to leave their home but are instead being thrown out or simply have no other option for safety.
Our film attempts to break the stereotypes of refugees as criminals, terrorists and economic migrants and really gives the audience an opportunity to see the victims of the Syrian conflict are ordinary people coming to terms with life-changing trauma. We hope that the audience will understand a bit more deeply what it means to be a refugee and through the film can identity better with the “other”.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Both themes seem to be interlinked because as we follow the personal journeys of Nemr, Mwafak, Reem and Sheikh Abdo the film reveals a universal story about the ongoing consequences of war. The personal narratives in Lost in Lebanon represent millions of other Syrians and the struggles they endure in trying to find peace and stability.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
We approach documentary filmmaking in a very natural way. We maintain freedom to move and follow the unfolding events in our characters' lives. At the start of making this film the epic flow of people fleeing into Europe had not started yet. We saw first hand the spread of the refugee crisis as it hit Europe and captured the turning point in the Syrian people's mind when they made the difficult decision of leaving to Europe. The closing of the Lebanese borders and the new visa restrictions on the Syrian refugees in Lebanon had very negative effects on all characters. As their lives and circumstances changed so did the narrative of the film. That’s why we chose the often harder path of independent filmmakers. To ensure that we can stay true to what we discover on the ground.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We have felt encouraged by people's reactions to the film from a personal scale to international platforms and political arenas. At a recent screening Pindie Stephen who is the IOM Integration Senior Specialist said “As I watched this film it reminded me of how important it is to have these tools to share with others… It can also serve to prepare communities that are receiving refugees and can help prepare for their integration challenges”.
An individual who watched the film played an active role in securing Nemr a residency visa for 6 months which drastically changed his life. These types of results for us as filmmakers are tremendous.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
We have done many screenings now of Lost in Lebanon in Europe, the US, Canada and the Middle East and have been able to engage in debates with the audiences. The most common reaction to the film is that the characters are very relatable, the audience comes away thinking that Reem could have been their sister or daughter, that Nemr could be their son or brother.
Due to the complicated politics of the region we have been confronted with political views we do not always agree with. When people choose to target our characters, questioning their reasons of leaving Syria we feel the need to defend them. This can be challenging as we are not experts in the region yet have a lot of first hand experiences with the Syrian and Lebanese communities so of course also hold our own personal opinions on the major players of the Syrian crisis.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Foremost, we hope to influence individuals who can in turn influence their communities anywhere in the world to be more open and welcoming to people fleeing war, in this situation, the people fleeing Syria. We hope to inspire people who watch this film
We hope to influence policy makers to encourage them to see the Syrian Refugee crisis through long term lenses. Ensuring policies are developed to enhance the Syrian people's future, whether job creation and access to education in host communities or the safe return to a Syria without the menace of the regime and armed groups.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
In order to raise awareness and amplify the film’s message we need sale agents, distributors, especially educational distributors as we want to develop an educational toolkit that supports senior schools and university curricula to help initiate attitudinal change and, of course, we need journalists too.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
The aim for Lost in Lebanon is to transform how audiences view Syrian refugees. The wider goal is to shift people’s perceptions in order to change government policies. If we can build an audience-based movement across countries – a transnational movement- built on common empathy shared and felt by audiences with a further goal to lobby, petition and persuade governments to change their approaches to Syrian refugees. We want to connect people working with advocacy, development, politics, human rights and the wider public in general to rebuild and re-examine human and cultural values with the desire to create a more fair, compassionate and sustainable society.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
The question we would want people to ask, and is often one of the first questions we hear during Q&As is: What can I do to help and to be more involved?
Would you like to add anything else?
We would like to encourage people to follow the progress of Lost in Lebanon on the films website: www.lostinlebanonfilm.com and to also follow updates of screenings on twitter @ScottSistersDoc
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Unfortunately as we’re still in the filming process we are unable to reveal too much, but we can disclose that our third feature-length documentary takes us back to the Middle East and once again focuses on the continuous and destructive effects of war on society. The next film will be the third part of a trilogy that look at the past, present and future effects of war.
Interview: December 2017
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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Lost in Lebanon
LOST IN LEBANON gains access to unknown stories in a region that is on the fringes of hell. Spending over a year in Lebanon, in Beirut and on the borders of Syria, this film tells the story behind the news reports and reflects the strange chaotic lives of the people living in the shadow of the Syrian war.
Length: 83 minutes
Director: Georgia Scott & Sophia Scott
Producer: Georgia Scott & Sophia Scott and Jane Wells
About the writer, director and producer:
Georgia Scott: Georgia is an experienced producer, director and editor. Her first documentary film, set in Kenya explored the threats facing a unique Swahili community on Lamu Island on the border with Somalia. Georgia made her first feature documentary In the Shadow of War in Bosnia in 2014 which was nominated for the Grand Jury Award at Sheffield Doc Fest and the First Appearance and Oxfam Global Justice Awards at IDFA. She recently completed her second feature film, Lost in Lebanon, filmed on the Syrian border during 2014-2016.
Sophia Scott: Sophia is an experienced producer, director and cinematographer, and has worked for organisations including the BBC and Channel 4. She has also worked extensively as a self shooting camerawoman across Africa and Asia on projects for the UN, PBS, CBC, The New York Times and Human Rights Watch among others. Sophia set up GroundTruth Productions in 2012 with Georgia together making In the Shadow of War and Lost in Lebanon.
Key cast: Reem, MWafak, Nemr, Sheikh Abdo
Looking for: sales agents, buyers, distributors, journalists
Social media handles:
Facebook: @lostinlebanonfilm
Twitter: @ScottSistersDoc
Website: www.lostinlebanonfilm.com
Made in association with: 3generations
Where will the film screen in the next month? The film will be screening with the IOM in Paris on the 18th December.