COSTA BRAVA, LEBANON
Directed by Mounia Akl
Drama / Lebanon, France, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Qatar / 106 mins
Rated PG 15
SYNOPSIS
In Costa Brava, Lebanon, the free-spirited Badri family escape the overwhelming pollution and social unrest of Beirut by seeking refuge in a utopic mountain home they built for themselves. Unexpectedly, an illegal garbage landfill begins construction right next door. With it comes the very trash and corruption they were trying to escape. As the landfill rises, so do family tensions. The Badris are left with a choice: stay off the grid or leave their idyllic home and face the reality they fled, hoping to stay true to their ideals.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
MOUNIA AKL is a director and writer from Lebanon living between Beirut and New York. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from ALBA and an MFA in Directing from Columbia University and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences®.
Her first feature film, Costa Brava, Lebanon, premiered in 2021 at the Venice Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival (Netpac Award) and BFI London Film Festival (Audience Award) amongst others. It recently won the Jury prize in Sevilla and Geneva and is Lebanon's submission to the Oscars. Some of her other previous work includes fiction films (Submarine), web series (Fasateen, Do Not Disturb, BILY) and fashion films (Dior, Elie Saab and Sandra Mansour.) Apart from her personal directing ventures, Mounia has also taught Directing and Screenwriting at Columbia University, New York, and at the NHSI film summer institute at Northwestern University, Chicago.
MORE INFORMATION
YEAR: 2021
LANGUAGE: Arabic
SUBTITLES: English
SCREENING INFO
February 25, 2022
7:30 PM