Eliane Raheb: Difference between revisions

'''Eliane Raheb''' ({{lang-ar|إليان الراهب}}; born 1972) is a [[documentary film|documentary]] [[filmmaker]] and director from [[Lebanon]].<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.berliner-kuenstlerprogramm.de/en/gast.php?id=1274|title=Berliner Künstlerprogramm {{!}} Biography: Raheb, Eliane|website=www.berliner-kuenstlerprogramm.de|access-date=2016-11-21}}</ref> She made her debut as a director with her 2012 film, ''Layali Bala Noom'' (''Sleepless Nights'').<ref name=":0" /> Her latest film is ''[[Miguel's War]]'' from 2021. That film received the Teddy Award for best LGBTW film at the 2021 Berlin International Film Festival.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |date=2021-06-19 |title="Miguel's War" erhält Teddy Award |url=https://www.rbb24.de/kultur/berlinale/beitraege/2021/teddy-award-miguels-war-instructions-survival.html |access-date=2024-02-28 |website=www.rbb24.de |language=de}}</ref>

Eliane Raheb was born in 1972 in [[Lebanon]], where she spent most of her youth during the [[Lebanese Civil War]]. In a 2014 interview, Raheb described her youth during the war: "I remember moving from one place to the next in search of shelter, like everyone else at the time. We lived through hard and painful moments. Despite that, we prevailed: we went to school and carried on with our lives... I will never forget the days of social harmony, when everyone would help the other." She was 19 when the war ended.<ref name="mc-doualiya.com">{{cite web |url=https://www.mc-doualiya.com/programs/sans-masque-mcd/20140505-%D8%A5%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%A8-%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%A7-%D9%86%D9%88%D9%85-%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%AD-%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%83%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%8A-%D9%84%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%81 |title=المخرجة اللبنانية إليان الراهب تعرض «ليالٍ بلا نوم» في باريس: "لم أفهم هذه الحروب الصغيرة داخل الحرب الكبيرة!" |last=Ltief |first=Gaby |date=2014-09-05 |website=MC Doualiya |language=ar |url-status=live |access-date=2020-03-06}}</ref>

Raheb's grandfather owned a theatre in [[Zahlé]] that sparked her interest in film. She stated thatsaid her family would often taketook refuge in her grandfather's theatre during the war, where theyand would watch films there.<ref name="youtube.com">inpettofilm. “Eliane Raheb - Gast Des Berliner Künstlerprogramms Des DAAD 2015.” YouTube, YouTube, 5 Oct. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7IiD3xKdnw.</ref> She began acting in theatre,{{when|date=March 2020}} working with [[Roger Assaf]].{{citation needed|date-=March 2020}} Alongside acting, she began to write and direct dramastheatre.<ref name="alkhaleej.ae">توبي هناء. “إليان الراهب: الموضوعية السينمائية كذبة كبيرة.” صحيفة الخليج, 30 Mar. 2015, www.alkhaleej.ae/alkhaleej/page/5ddb31c4-fbc9-4211-878e-f1782bca4d71.</ref> Raheb then transitionedmoved from theatre to film, studying at [[IESAV{{Where|date=December 2019}}]] in [[Beirut]] to become a filmmaker.

Raheb's directorial debut came the release ofwas her 1995 short film ''The Last Screening'', which revolves around the relationship between a girl and her grandfather's theatertheatre.<ref name=":0" /> Raheb directed the 2002 documentary ''[[So Near Yet So Far]]'', which is about the [[February 6 Intifada]] that squashed the hopes of visiting neighbouring countries for children living in Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan.<ref name=":0" />

In her 2012 documentary ''Sleepless Nights'', Raheb exploredexplores the [[Lebanese Civil War#End of the war|amnesty law]] that was granted to thosepeople who committed political crimes during the Lebanese Civil War,war and how itits affectedeffects bothon the victims and the perpetrators of these crimes.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/2012/film/reviews/sleepless-nights-1117948928/|title=Review: ‘Sleepless'Sleepless Nights’Nights'|last=Weissberg|first=Jay|date=2012-12-22|newspaper=Variety|language=en-US|access-date=2016-12-05}}</ref> To that end, ''Sleepless Nights'' depicts the lives of [[Assaad Chaftari]], an ex-intelligence officer who was responsible for many casualtiesand as a high-ranking member of a right -wing militia, who killed many people; and Maryam Saiidi, whose son went missing in 1982.<ref name=":4">{{cite web|url=http://watson.brown.edu/events/2014/screening-sleepless-nights-film-directed-eliane-raheb|title=Screening of Sleepless Nights, a film directed by Eliane Raheb {{!}} Watson Institute|website=watson.brown.edu|access-date=2016-12-05}}</ref> Raheb devised ''Sleepless Nights'' withafter taking an interest in Assaad Chaftari's story.<ref name="Beirut, Ayam 2013">Beirut, Ayam. “A Chat with Eliane Raheb, Director of 'Sleepless Nights' (English Subtitles).” YouTube, YouTube, 24 Apr. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwOMKIm2dk8.</ref> Through her research and interview with him, Eliane covered the two conflicting narratives that isare present in the film.<ref name="Beirut, Ayam 2013"/>

When ''Sleepless Nights'' was released, it had trouble getting large-scale distribution in Lebanon due to its documentarian nature.{{Vague|date=March 2020}} Instead, the film was screened in three Lebanese theatres through individual efforts on behalf of Raheb and her supporters. [[Future Television]] criticized ''Sleepless Nights'', calling it a "failure" for having less than 700 views within one week of its release. However, the film was acclaimed and screened on various platforms, such as the [[Al Jazeera Documentary Channel]] and [[Al Jadeed]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elfann.com/news/show/1074832/%D8%A5%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%A8-%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%AF-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A8%D9%84:-%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%81%D9%87-%D9%88%D8%BA%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%AF%D9%82%D9%8A |title=إليان الراهب ترد على المستقبل: تقرير تافه وغير دقيق |publisher=Elfann.com |access-date= |accessdate=2020-03-07}}</ref> Jay Weissberg, writing for ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', said, "It's hard to find a Lebanese film that doesn’t focus on the bloody civil war. And yet it is even harder to find a film that treats this topic better than Sleepless Nights."<ref name=":3" />

Her latest2018 documentary, ''Those Who Remain'', which was screened{{Year needed|date=March 2020}} inat more than 20 festivals., is The film explores the life of Haykal,about a 60-year old Christian farmer living in North Lebanon who is struggling to stay in his land, amidstamid sectarian tensions, fear, and hopelessness. Raheb said of the film:, "I wanted to give the land a political, not only geographical, meaning.".<ref>Berlin, Alfilm. “Interview with Director Eliane Raheb.” YouTube, YouTube, 20 Apr. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3OuJciROpg.</ref>

Alongside her career as a filmmaker, Raheb also supports the Lebanese film community by teaching filmmaking at the [[Saint Joseph University]] in Beirut and being active in Lebanese cultural organizations in Lebanon.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">Armes, R..''Arab Filmmakers of the Middle East: A Dictionary.'' Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2010. ''Project MUSE''</ref>

Together with producer [[Nizar Hassan]], who produced ''Sleepless Nights'', Raheb founded Free Arabs (2011-2012), an international multimedia documentary film project.<ref name=":0" /> Free Arabs produced 160 short films, all of which were made by young filmmakers from seven countries that took part in the [[Arab Spring]].<ref name=":0" /> All 160 short documentaries, which depict the lives of Arabs during the revolutions, were published online.<ref name=":4" /> Raheb's Lebanese-based production company [[Itar Productions]] is active throughout the Arab world.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.dohafilminstitute.com/financing/projects/grants/sleepless-nights|title=Sleepless nights|newspaper=Doha Film Institute|access-date=2016-12-06}}</ref>

Raheb hasis displayed an interestinterested in Lebanese experiences across her filmography. Commenting on her own work, Raheb stated, "In the absence of a film industry structure in Lebanon, short films have performed the invaluable task of chronicling life in Lebanon after the war. They provide the material for a potential cinema."<ref>[[Lina Khatib|Khatib, Lina]]. Tauris World Cinema : Lebanese Cinema : Imagining the Civil War and Beyond. London, US: I.B.Tauris, 2008. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 5 December 2016.</ref> She described that cinema is an integrala tool that should be used in order to unravel Lebanon's past.<ref name="mc-doualiya.com" />

Raheb's childhood largely influenced her work. Regarding the war, sheShe said that she "never understood the little wars within the big one".<ref name="Sept 2014">{{Cite web|url=https://www.mc-doualiya.com/programs/sans-masque-mcd/20140505-%D8%A5%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%A8-%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%A7-%D9%86%D9%88%D9%85-%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%AD-%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%83%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%8A-%D9%84%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%81|title=بدون قناع - المخرجة اللبنانية إليان الراهب تعرض «ليالٍ بلا نوم» في باريس: "لم أفهم هذه الحروب الصغيرة داخل الحرب الكبيرة!"|date=May 9, 2014|website=مونت كارلو الدولية / MCD}}</ref> Later, she described its influence on her work:said, "The war lingers in my head, and I always search for it traces. So I wanted to ask my questions on the screen.". She began workworking on her first socio-political documentary aroundin 2000.<ref name="Sept 2014"/>

WhenRaheb askedsaid aboutof her objective style in ''Sleepless Nights'', Raheb responded: "In the field of cinema, objectivity is a big lie. I tried to be as objective as possible. That is why I did not make a film about the Lebanese Civil War. Rather, I made a film about two people who lived through the war. I began from that reality, to tell their story, not mine. This film is not a biased journalistic report; rather it is a creative work that identifies with the human: her emotions, fears, and dreams."<ref name="alkhaleej.ae"/>

Because of its political nature, Raheb's work is largely documentary. She described her approach to documentary films:said; "I learned;&nbsp;... through documentary, how to bring back the fiction&nbsp;... so I am dealing with an issue that is important, but I am having real characters instead of having actors; but if I want to be cinematic, I have to deal with them as if they are characters in a film&nbsp;... I have to give them the time to develop their own story with a dramatical line.".<ref name="youtube.com"/>

!Title<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2394503/|title=Eliane Raheb|website=IMDb|access-date=2016-11-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Arab Women Filmmakers|last=Hillauer|first=Rebecca|publisher=American University in Cairo Press|year=2000|isbn=|location=Cairo, Egypt|page=435|quote=|via=ProQuest ebrary}}</ref>