Film screenings, beach clubs and Saint Levant in Beirut

This week marked two important milestones in my apartment: the A.C. is officially on and the summer skirts have been coaxed out of hibernation, which can only mean that beach season is officially upon us in Lebanon. To usher in this long-awaited time of year, we have an apt selection of beach-adjacent reads this week, or at least the kind you’d want to read with your feet in the sand and a tropical fruit juice in hand. 

Enjoy!

The town of Anfeh in North Lebanon is much more than just the “Lebanese Santorini.” In her new film, anthropologist Pascale Feghali (with the help of the AUB Archeological Museum) dives beneath the surface, literally and figuratively, to trace the ancient history of this much-Instagrammed coastal town. 

Speaking of the seaside, one thing there is no shortage of in Lebanon is beach clubs. As the summer season dawns, you may well be looking for an indulgent day lounging in a deck chair with Almazas on tap. But will your day of sun and sea cost more than last year? You can check here.

The award-winning film “To A Land Unknown” about two Palestinian refugees who left Lebanon and are trying to get from Athens to Germany is now showing at Metropolis Cinema in Beirut. I watched it last night and have only just unclenched my jaw. But you can read Nanette Ziade-Ritter’s much more coherent review here.

Decades after his assassination, Samir Kassir’s voice rings through Beirut via sound installations and subversive theatre. The Beirut Spring Festival is back with open-air art and political theater. Find out more about this year’s highlights here.

Admit it, you watched those videos of Saint Levant performing in Beirut at least more than once. Now, you can get the full experience of the whole AUB Outdoors festival in this report, written in collaboration with our friends at AUB Outlook. 

“With constant conflict in Lebanon…where is the healing of the wounded minds?” For 10 years, the Wakim sisters have been working to help people suffering from psychological trauma through art therapy. It’s a beautiful story of an NGO challenging typical notions of therapy and the stigma around mental health.