Phantom Beirut

Ghassan Salhab’s feature film debut, filled with ghosts and memories, is set in the late 1980s, during the final years of the Lebanese Civil War. The protagonist, Khalil, returns to Beirut under a new identity. There, he encounters old friends and former comrades-in-arms whom he had left behind a decade earlier after faking his own death.

'Phantom Beirut' combines noir psychodrama, war film, documentary elements, and interviews with the lead actors. Power outages and bomb explosions repeatedly interrupt the soundtrack. The result is a haunting exploration of the official silence and collective amnesia that shape the lives of those who lived through the conflict.

'Phantom Beirut' LB, FR 1998, Director: Ghassan Salhab, DCP, Arabic, Original with English subtitles, 120 min

Guest: Iskandar Abdalla (author, film curator, political visual artist, artistic director of ALFILM – Arab Film Festival Berlin)
Host: Rabih El-Khoury

The post-screening discussion will be held in English.