How My Grandmother Became a Chair | From Beirut to Space: Lebanese Shorts

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This program of short films from Lebanon explores the stories of the Lebanese people and their multifaceted lives and experiences. While all tinged with political unrest and socio-economic issues, their stories are vast and varied. From films grounded in this difficult reality to imaginative explorations of love, dreams and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, these shorts reinforce the unshakeable spirits and boundless creativity of the Lebanese people, even through difficult times.

This program includes the following films:

Roadblock (France, Lebanon) dir. Dahlia Nemlich

Tamouzi (Lebanon) dir. Ali Dekmak

Beity (Lebanon) dir. Isabelle Mecattaf

How My Grandmother Became a Chair (Lebanon) dir. Nicolas Fattouch

Light Fingers (Lebanon) dir. Carina Ashkar

Will You Bury Me (Lebanon) dir. Noor Eldine Aboud

Space Woman (France, Lebanon) dir. Hadi Moussally

An aging grandmother loses her five senses, one after the other before finally becoming a wooden chair. Throughout her transformation, she realizes that her African housekeeper is not the wild animal she once thought she was, but the caring and loyal family member she was sadly lacking. A poignant story about illness and growing old which employs imagination and metaphor to show the difficult and painful process of departing.

About the filmmaker:

Nicolas Fattouh (born 1994 in Monsef – Lebanon) is a visual artist and director. He participated in many local and international exhibitions. He graduated from Academie Libanaise Des Beaux Arts in animation. In 2018 his debut How grandmother became a chair received production grant The Film Prize of the Robert Bosch Stiftung. In 2019 he opened the Fattouh Art Gallery in Monsef.

Year
2020
Runtime
10 minutes
Language
Arabic
Country
Germany, Lebanon, Qatar

Director
Nicolas Fattouh
Screenwriter
Nicolas Fattouh
Producer
Fabian Driehorst, Nermine Haddad
Editor
Frédéric Schuld
Animator
Till Machmer, Adrian Jaffé, Yann Le Bot, Augustina Morici, Florian Maubach, Shadi Adib, Alba Dragonetti, Carlo Palazzari, Meike Fehre, Rebecca Blöcher, Friedrich Schäper
Sound Design
François Yazbeck
Music
Cedric Kayem

8 films in package

Roadblock

On her way back from a protest a Lebanese activist, and her French-Lebanese boyfriend are stopped at a roadblock held by two armed militiamen who have a bone to pick with them.

Tamouzi

A 10 year old boy who is obsessed with ninja turtles risks everything for his beloved video game during a bombing.

Beity

A mother awaiting the return of her daughter spends the day smoking and tormenting the household staff so as not to face her pain.

How My Grandmother Became a Chair

Grandmother loses her five senses one after the other until she transforms into a wooden chair.

Light Fingers

In an attempt to runaway from their problems, Omar and Sahar find themselves stuck in an unusual repetitive cycle.

Will You Bury Me

A young unorthodox mother and wife, sets out to help her family after her bigoted husband accuses her of hiding money from him.

Space Woman

Maha, in her sixties, decides at the dawn of her retirement life to realize her craziest dream in her own way.

Ido

A Yezidi teenager experiences racism while trying to sell his family's sheep milk.