Patrick Chemali

Maia, a single mother, lives in Montreal with her teenage daughter, Alex. On Christmas Eve, they receive an unexpected delivery: notebooks, tapes, and photos Maia, from 13 to 18 years old, sent from Beirut to her best friend who left for Paris to escape the civil war. Maia refuses to open the box or confront its memories, but Alex secretly begins diving into it. Between fantasy and reality, Alex enters the world of her mother’s tumultuous, passionate adolescence during the Lebanese civil war, unlocking mysteries of a hidden past.

After the August 4th Beirut port explosion, a judicial reform brings about the first trial by jury in Lebanon where 12 citizens are about to decide the fate of an illegal Syrian refugee accused of brutally killing a social activist known for helping the damaged community after the blast. Will they be able to put aside their old beliefs and prejudices to offer an impartial verdict?

In Clotheslined, the viewer is invited into the intimate chronicle of the lives of Fares, Souad and Mira, a family in modern-day Lebanon as told by the clothesline on their balcony terrasse. In a way, the film is the story of the clothesline as it narrates, from its own perspective, the beginnings, the joys, the laughter, but also the sadness and hardships, and all the unforeseen challenges that life dishes out to this family of three and their surroundings.

It’s moving day. Sahar and Omar are new in town. When Sahar runs down to the local supermarket to grab some first-night essentials, the owner of the store leaves her in an uncomfortable situation. She returns to the apartment where her and Omar’s stagnant relationship leaves them speechless. Later, when Omar visits an old friend, we slowly unravel what undying love entails and how it can be threatened by routine and monotony.