Lisa Jabornig

Beirut lies in ruins. After the explosion in the city's port, collective trauma rises to the surface. How can life succeed after such a tragedy? The film carefully observes the following three years and zooms in on the lives of Aya - a Syrian refugee girl, Selim - an activist and painter, the Aladdin family - mourning a tragic loss, Yasmin - picking up calls at a suicide prevention hotline, and Andrea - who still believes in the city's spark for change. Meanwhile, a smoldering fire keeps on lingering in the port’s silos like a cautionary tale. Is it time to leave?

Emma works in a film archive and immerses herself in the queer scene of the 1980s in Vienna. Between the past and her present, Emma encounters conflicts, such as her friend Ira's experience of discrimination and her own search for an answer to the question what family means to her.