Fatma Racha Shehadeh
Crew
Biography
FATMA RACHA SHEHADEH wrote and directed her first film, ZIKRA, as her senior project at the Lebanese American University. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival Short Corner in 2016 and was officially selected in several festivals like: The Phenician International film festival, NDU international film festival and Los Angeles Cinefest. ZIKRA received the Bronze Palm at Mexico International Film Festival under Student films competition and the Prix d'honneur at Ora Union Film festival. Soon after that she directed her first independent short film MUSE – Nagham Hayati who also premiere at Cannes Film Festival Short Corner in 2017 and was officially selected at many festivals like: The Lebanese Film Festival AUSTRALIA, Bucharest ShortCut Cinefest, Short to the Point (International Short Film Festival), Fajr International Film Festival in Tehran, Iran and the Social World Film Festival in Naples, Italy. MUSE received The Fevoss Prize dedicated to Solidarity at San Giò Video Festival. Shehadeh participated three times in the 48-hour film competition with two films: INKED that won 1st Runner Up, Best Directing, Best Editing and Best Male Actor, TEXTURE that won Best Cinematography, and FLY HIGH that won 1st Runner Up, Best Directing, Best Script and Best Production Design at the competition. FLY HIGH was then officially selected at Rabat International Author Film Festival, Silk Road International Film Festival, Beirut International Women Film Festival and Lahazat Film Festival. Shehadeh completed her Master's degree in cinematography at the Lebanese University and photographed over 20 short films that are touring in festivals. Shehadeh was honored at the 2019 Lahazat Film Festival, where she received the Best Cinematographer Award for her achievements in cinematography.
Known For

A mother and her 3 boys live in the poor suburbs of Beirut. The youngest boy is religiously committed unlike his two older brothers who are drug dealers. They force their younger brother to work for them because of his clean reputation. A series of events bring chaos to the family and the whole neighborhood.
Hardabasht

Mounia searches for her lost cat among the ruins of the Beirut port explosion. Joined by her best friend Ghady, they navigate the remnants of their city on a quest to recover what's been lost.
The Sun Sets on Beirut

A journalist delves into Fadl Shaker's past, searching for a comprehensive answer to "the right question" before meeting him. She meets with his family, discovering the man, the father, and the artist between the lines of his controversial transformation. A story that is being reenacted and narrated by Fadl himself!
Ya Ghayeb: Fadel Chaker
A feature film set over the course of one restless night in Beirut, the film follows Nuhad, who hires a struggling cameraman with his last US$ 300 to document what he believes will be a defining turning point in his life. As they drift through the city, a series of awkward encounters, impulsive detours, and disarming confessions begin to unravel his carefully constructed plan. What starts as a controlled narrative gradually gives way to something more intimate and unpredictable, revealing a tender, often darkly funny portrait of two men circling questions of purpose, identity, and connection. Grounded in the rhythms and contradictions of contemporary Beirut, the film balances humor and vulnerability, offering a quietly affecting story about the unexpected moments that can shift how we see ourselves and each other.
Peanuts

This film is primarily a smell. An indescribable scent that marks you forever. The smell of war, of death. The smell of impossible peace. Constructed as an investigation, the film is a double testimony, that of the executioner and that of the victim, presenting the turning point in the history of a country, a region, several peoples that are at the center of all conflicts in the Middle East. The film tells the story of 5 days in September 1982, which itself sums up a century of conflict. In one place, Beirut. An investigation based on the testimonies of all the protagonists, victims, executioners, accomplices and witnesses.