Only Rebels Win

Director: Danielle Arbid

Cast: Hiam Abbass, Mahamat Amine Benrachid, Charbel Kamel, Shaden Fakih.

A May-December romance unravels amidst a collision of desire and displacement in Beirut

When 60-year-old Suzanne (Hiam Abass) intervenes in a racist attack against Osmane (Amine Benrachid), she feels an instant connection to the mysterious man half her age. The violence of their first meeting comes to permeate the relationship that follows, with the love between the two marked by harsh judgment of their age gap, as well as the interfaith and interracial nature of their pairing. Unable to film in Lebanon amongst the escalating war, Danielle Arbid beautifully recreates the landscape of her home city of Beirut: one constantly under attack, but still able to foster and harbour a tender love story. (ISRA AL KASSI)