33 Days

About the Film

Filmed during the massive Israeli war on Lebanon in the summer of 2006, 33 Days follows the real-life stories of four people: A theatre director working with children, an aid worker who coordinated emergency relief efforts, a journalist for an underground television station, and a mother trying to cope with her newborn baby.

View fullsize

---

Mai Masri -- Documentary, 70’, Arabic with English Subtitles (Lebanon: 2007)

Beirut Diaries (Yaumiyat Beirut)

ABOUT THE FILM

By focusing on the experiences of 25-year-old Nadine Zaidan, who was one of the thousands of activists who gathered in Beirut's Martyrs Square in the chaotic days immediately following the assassination of Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in February of 2005, Beirut Diaries explores critical transformations and crucial questions facing contemporary Lebanon. With this insightful video diary, director Mai Masri (Frontiers of Dreams and Fears) chronicles the political ferment embodied in the March 11th Movement, also known as The Cedar Revolution, as people of all factions, ages and religious affiliations passionately debate such issues as Syria's influence in Lebanese politics, the establishment of an international commission to investigate Hariri's assassination and the organization of free parliamentary elections. Masri's documentary shows that together, the people of Lebanon are striving to forge a new direction for their country.

---

Mai Masri -- Documentary, 79’, Arabic (Lebanon: 2006)

Children of Fire (Atfal Jebel Nar)

About the film

When filmmaker Mai Masri returned to her hometown of Nablus after a fourteen year absence, she discovered a new generation of Palestinian fighters: the children of the Intifada. Children of Fire captures their courageous story on film and paints a daring portrait of the Palestinian uprising.

Mai Masri -- 50’, Arabic with English Subtitles (Lebanon: 1990)
 

Children of Shatila (Aftal Shatila)

About the film

Many people first became aware of the Shatila refugee camp in Lebanon after the shocking and horrific Sabra-Shatila massacre that took place there in 1982. Located in Beirut's "belt of misery," the camp is home to 15,000 Palestinians and Lebanese who share a common experience of displacement, unemployment and poverty. Fifty years after the exile of their grandparents from Palestine, the children of Shatila attempt to come to terms with the reality of being refugees in a camp that has survived massacre, siege and starvation. Director Mai Masri focuses on two Palestinian children in the camp: Farah, age 11 and Issa, age 12. When these children are given video cameras, the story of the camp evolves from their personal narratives as they articulate the feelings and hopes of their generation.

Mai Masri -- 50’, Arabic with English Subtitles (Lebanon: 1998)
 

Frontiers of Dreams and Fears (Ahlam Al-Manfa)

ABOUT THE FILM

Award-winning Palestinian filmmaker Mai Masri's most recent work traces the delicate friendship that evolves between two Palestinian girls: Mona, a resident of the economically marginalized Beirut refugee camp and Manar, an occupant of Bethlehem's Al-Dheisha camp under Israeli control. The two girls begin and continue their relationship through letters until they are finally given the opportunity to meet at the border during the Israeli withdrawal from South Lebanon. When the intifada suddenly erupts around them, both girls face heart-breaking changes in their lives.

Mai Masri -- 56’, Arabic with English Subtitles (Lebanon: 2001)

Hanan Ashrawi: A Woman of Her Time

About the Film

In the stormy aftermath of the peace accord signed between Israel and the PLO, Palestinian spokeswoman Hanan Ashrawi emerged as a formidable negotiator and a persuasive voice on the international stage. But beyond the polished rhetoric and the public poise, what drives the 47-year-old mother of two whose high profile and personal integrity have made her enemies as well as friends?

Mai Masri & Jean Chamoun -- 50', Arabic with English Subtitles (Lebanon/Palestine: 1995)

Suspended Dreams (Ahlam Mu'allakah)

ABOUT THE FILM

Through the eyes of two ex-militia fighters, a critical playwright and a woman looking for her kidnapped husband, this documentary looks at a Beirut community rebuilding its life after 16 years of war.

Mai Masri & Jean Chamoun -- 50', Arabic (Lebanon: 1992)

Under the Rubble (Tahat al-Anqadh)

ABOUT THE FILM

Documentary on the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon and siege of Beirut.

Mai Masri & Jean Chamoun -- 50', Arabic (Lebanon: 1983)