Birds of September
Lebanon, Qatar / Documentary / 99' / HD / Color / 2013
A glassed van roams the streets of Beirut, home to a camera that explores the city behind the glass. Along the way, several people are invited to share a personal moment in this moving confessional. Each one comes as a face, a body, a posture, a voice, an attitude, an emotion, a point of view, a memory. Their confessions are true, blunt, and intimate. However, soon enough, the van empties again, and roams Beirut; restlessly looking for something, for someone.
Director: Sarah Francis
Script: Sarah Francis
Director of Photography: Nadim Saoma
Producer: Sarah Francis
Music: Stephane Rives, Jawad Nawfal, Fadi Tabbal, Paed Conca
Editing: Zeina Aboul Hosn, Farah Fayed
Sound: Stephane Rives, Sarah Francis
CV
Sarah grew up in Beirut and studied at the Institut d’études scéniques, audiovisuelles et cinématographiques (IESAV) of the Saint Joseph University of Beirut. Her first film Birds of September (2013) premiered in the CPH:DOX main competition then screened in numerous festivals and museums like Art of the Real' Lincoln Center (NY), Stedelijk Museum (NL), Doxa (Ca), or DMZ Docs (South Korea) and received several awards. Her works also include short films and videos (e.g. 'Nawal's Rituals', produced by Ashkal Alwan, 2014). Her second feature film As Above so Below premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2020 and is now being shown internationally. She is currently developing her third feature film.
Filmography
2013 Toyour Ayloul (Birds of September)
2014 Tukoos Nawal (Nawal's Rituals)
2016 All the Temporary, Quick Notes from Home
2020 Kama fissamaa’ kathalika ala al-ard (As Above so Below)
Festivals Attended
CPH: DOX, International Competition (Denmark)
Dubai International Film Festival (UAE)
AFAC Film Week (Lebanon)
International Mediterranean Film Festival Tétouan (Morocco)
FIDADOC Agadir (Morocco)
DOXA Vancouver (Canada)
Beirut International Film Festival (Lebanon)
Medfilm Festival Rome (Italy)
Kerala International Documentary Film Festival (India)
DMZ International Documentary Film Festival, International Competition (South Korea)
Arab Film Festival Tuebingen (Germany)
LATINARAB International Film Festival Buenos Aires (Argentina)
International Documentary and Video Festival Kassel (Germany)
This is the Time. This is the Record of the Time (Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam/NL)
Pravo Ljudski Film Festival Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
7th Cairo International Women's Film Festival (Egypt)
Caravan of Arab-Iberoamercan Women's Film (Mexico / Nicaragua)
Silk Road Festival Dublin (Ireland)
Festival of Oriental Film Geneva (Switzerland)
Art of the Real New York (USA)
Cinema Sayara (Palestine)
International Film Festival Cebère / Portbou (Catalonia/France)
Phoenix Art Museum (USA)
Studio-X Amman (Jordan)
Mediterranean Women's Film Festival Marseille (France)
International Documentary Film Festival Lussas (France)
12 Film a Year at Film Club Jeddah (Saudi Arabia)
Mostra de Cinema Árabe Feminino Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
Cinéma Elysées Lincoln (France)
Travelling Festival in Rennes (France)
Endstation Bochum (Germany)
Lagerhalle Osnabrück (Germany)
Cinema Moderne (Canada)
The Between Women Filmmakers Caravan (Egypt)
The Void (Northern Ireland)
Shasha Movies (online)
Twin City Arab Film Festival (USA)
Awards
Best First Feature - International Mediterranean Film Festival Tétouan
White Goose Award - Best Film at DMZ Documentary Film Festival South Korea
Special Mention Pravo Ljudski Film Festival extra muros Competition Program Award
Best Documentary Award - Silk Road Festival Dublin
'Mention Francois Barat' from 'Les rencontres cinematographiques de Cerbere/Portbou