Falling from Earth
| Falling from earth -و على الأرض السماﺀ | |
|---|---|
 Movie Poster | |
| Directed by | Chadi Zeneddine |
| Produced by |
Artwist Productions Néon Productions |
| Written by | Chadi Zeneddine |
| Starring |
Rafik Ali Ahmad Carmen Lebbos Ammar Shalak Naya Salame Yamen Sukkarieh Nicole Kamato Imad Creidi |
| Cinematography | Johnny Abi-Fares |
Release dates | Dubai December, 2007 |
Running time | 70 minutes |
| Country | Lebanon |
| Language | Arabic |
Falling From Earth (Arabic: و على الأرض السماﺀ - wa-ala el ard el sama'a) is a 2007 Lebanese film written, produced and directed by Chadi Zeneddine. The film premiered on December 13, 2007 at the Dubai International Film Festival. It was running for the Muhr award[1]
Falling From Earth is Zeneddine's first feature film.
Synopsis
Youssef, a wise fool, lives in the remains of a building, collecting photographs of happy people. Behind each photograph lie millions of implosions of a city wounded by time. Chapter after chapter, they are all still waiting for ... Beirut
Director's Statement
I started shooting the film 3 years ago with a crew of mostly first-timers. The film was interrupted several times and so I would continue shooting every six months for a couple of days; the financial strain was burdening.... and I was falling apart at times. The project started with the internal fear and heaviness that I had felt due to post-war trauma after I returned to Beirut. It was in no way the physical war that had affected me: I had not lived it. But I could not ignore how mute and destroyed most of us are, despite the effort we put in denying and defying it all through our survival instincts.... but I also could not ignore that I was falling deep in love with the undying city. Some time later, when ‘another’ war broke out, I did remember the SOUND of it... It was haunting me everywhere I went, just like it does to the main character of the film: it has become our shadow and greatest enemy. Through different chapters that somehow represent several key dates in the perpetual conflict(s), I watch my characters lost and voiceless turning around in circles, still searching or waiting for a ‘no way’ out... indeed a ‘no way’ out, for they are not fallen angels, they are simple humans FALLING FROM EARTH and craving to stay in Beirut, where angels are reborn...[2]
Cast
- Rafik Ali Ahmad
- Carmen Lebbos
- Ammar Shalak
- Naya Salamé
- Yamen Sukkarieh
- Nicole Kamato
- Imad Creidi
- Christine Choueiri
- Pierre Dagher
- Ziad Said
- Amal Ftouni
- Georges Arbid
Trivia
- The film original title was Waiting for ... Beirut.