Synopsis
Filmed over four years with unique access to the families within these largely no-go areas and co-directed by Stephen Gerard Kelly (debut film) and Garry Keane (Gaza, 2019), In The Shadow of Beirut is marked by a deep intimacy with its subjects and a bold cinematic style, with much of its visual and character-led storytelling sharing creative DNA with the team’s earlier film, Gaza. Co-Director Stephen Gerard Kelly built up his relationship with the families at the centre of the film over a six-year period.The film follows its protagonists through the pandemic and the deteriorating economic crisis engulfing the country daily. However, given the storied neighbourhood’s tough history and challenging living conditions, the struggles of the film’s central protagonists began long before the deadly 2020 port explosion rocked the city in which they were born. [REAL FILMS]