Written by Refugee Hosts present a free film screening of “About a War“, a feature documentary that explores violence and social change through the testimonies of ex-fighters from the Lebanese Civil War. The event will include an opportunity to take part in a panel discussion with film Directors, Daniele Rugo and Abi Weaver, and Refugee Hosts Principal Investigator, Prof. Elena Fiddian Qasmiyeh.
Moving through the testimonies of Assaad, a right wing Christian intelligence officer; Ahed, a Palestinian refugee fighter and Nassim, a Communist commander, About a War unpicks the personal motivations, trauma and regret of militiamen who picked up arms during the Lebanese Civil War. With no official account of the conflict, their testimonies build a multi-perspective picture of a crucial turning point in Lebanese history that radically transformed the Middle East.
The film will be screened on the 22nd January 2019 from 5.30pm to 7.30pm at the UCL Institute of Archaeology. For more information and to book a ticket please visit the Eventbrite page.
Reviews / Quotes:
Will Self, Curzon Blog
‘a compelling and important film…Here we have the opportunity to engage with the impact of real violence on an evolving sensibility, and how youthful participation is regarded with the benefit of hindsight. I urge anyone who’s interested in the potential of film to investigate violence discursively – rather than portray it incontinently – to watch About a War.”
Middle East Monitor (MEMO)
“About a War speaks powerfully to a universal issue” – 4/5
‘Motivations and trauma from Lebanon’s civil war compete in stirring new movie’
“a multi-perspective picture of horrendous times.”
Biographies:
Daniele Rugo is a director/producer who has worked on films such as The Olympic Side of London (2012) and as editor on feature films including The Land’s Music (2016). He has a PhD in Philosophy and currently holds a postas Senior Lecturer at Brunel University, London.
Abi Weaver is a BAFTA award winning producer/director who has worked across a range of visual media from independent feature documentaries and online shorts (Snapchat and Youtube) through to programming for major UK broadcasters (BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5).
Prof. Elena Fiddian-Qasmiyeh is the Principal Investigator leading the Refugee Hosts project; she is Professor of Migration and Refugee Studies and Co-Director of the Migration Research Unit at University College London (UCL), where she is also the Coordinator of the UCL-wide Refuge in a Moving World interdisciplinary research network (@RefugeMvingWrld) and the Southern Responses to Displacement Project.
Funded by: Arts and Humanities Research Council
Web: www.iterationsfilm.com/about-a-war-doc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aboutawar
Twitter: About a War @followingthewires
Duration: 82 minutes
Produced in: Lebanon and UK, 2018
Directors: Daniele Rugo and Abi Weaver
Co-Producer: Masahiro Hirakubo
Associate Producer: Dana Abi Ghanem
Research Advisors: Ziad Abdel Samad (ANND) and Eric Verdeil (Sciences Po)
Refugee Hosts 