My Dopamine-Triggering Serotonin Tattoo

April 26, 2011 By 12 Comments

For my friends on Facebook and Tweeps, you probably already saw my first tattoo. It is a simple and solid tattoo of the molecular structure of the neurotransmitter Serotonin.

I might not strike you as the tattoo type, but then again, the tattoo I got was not to get a tattoo, like so many unfortunate people… I knew I wanted this for well over a year, and finally decided to pay Hady Beydoun a visit and get it etched into my skin, forever (not exactly, there are pretty good tattoo removal techniques today =P).

Instead of a butterfly, stars or hearts, or the more manly tribal effects or the saddest in my opinion: skulls, I decided to do one which is inspired by something that has impacted my life deeply and will probably decide what happens with the rest of it: Neuroscience.

Serotonin is involved in a lot of processes, with its effect mediating everything from bowel movements, to depression, sleep and of course magic mushrooms and LSD. It is generally regarded though in pop culture as the “feel-good” hormone. Read more about it on Wikipedia =P

A lot of chemical compounds are fascinating, and most would expect Dopamine, Adrenaline, Caffeine and Oxytocin to be the chosen compound. But frankly, their structures are either too huge, or too ugly. Serotonin looks sexier, and its functions’ complexity have captivated me the most.

For a couple of examples about Serotonin’s close proximity, most of you are on Prozac (I safely assume). Prozac (Fluoxetine) inhibits enzymes that reabsorb serotonin. When you pop a couple of pills, what you’re essentially doing is extending the lifetimes and amount of serotonin molecules, making you happy, relaxed and not depressed. Another is the warm milk grandma story, where a glass of warm milk is supposed to help you sleep. This might be somewhat true, since milk contains serotonin’s precursor: tryptophan, and could help relax you and trigger your sleep cycles.

My body is way too awesome to let anyone mutilate it with a needle, that’s why I decided to go to Hady Beydoun. After looking at his previous works of art and meeting several people who paid him a visit and never looked back (in regret at least), I woke up on Monday after deciding the previous night I should get the tattoo already, only to find a message from the Hady B Tattoo group on Facebook. If I was a believer in the divine, this would probably qualify as divine intervention.

Minutes later, I called Hady, and a couple of hours after that, I was on the rooftop of the Mallah Center in Jal el Dib. Hady’s parlor has undoubtedly the best view ever. Beirut, Jounieh, and the surrounding mountains with Rabieh, Awkar, Bsalim and Roumieh are all within the 360-degree view, that will help diffuse the anxiety (if you have any that is).

A pleasant surprise was Gaia, Hady’s adorable baby golden retriever. The bundle of fur and love doesn’t mind accepting your shower of hugs and kisses, and also, helps diffuse whatever anxiety you have (unless you’re like the woman after me, who has a “dog phobia” as she put it).

Racha, a friend who has had a tattoo at Hady’s well before I did, described a Hady Beydoun tattoo as an “intense experience.” She was absolutely right, not because of the pain, because there hardly is any, but because of Hady’s serious demeanor, the loud Heavy Metal coming out from the Bose speakers and the sound of the tattoo gun (is that the right term?) whirring away.

It should be noted here that Hady’s artistic touch isn’t limited to skin, but he also airbrushes, paints, creates poetry and a whole lot more. Check out his site and his facebook group

It has been little over 24 hours since I did my tattoo, and the pain is really non-existent. I was expecting the tattooed area to be sore, red, but it’s calm and I’m applying ointment to it twice a day, no bandage no nothing. In other words, upkeep seems to be fairly simple and the aftermath of the tattooing is not as horrible as I had imagined.

All in all, my first (and probably last) tattoo experience was an amazing one, and I am very happy with my sciency, meaningful and totally badass tattoo =)

Here are the different stage

The Stencil Before Tattooing Began
Hady tracing the bold, black outline
My traced out tattoo
Coloring the NH Blue
TA DA!
Filed Under: Artsy Fartsy, Biology and Neuroscience Tagged With: , ,

Music and Moral Depravity by Guest Blogger Christian Bou Khater

April 16, 2011 By 12 Comments

Christian Bou Khater, better known as CBK, is a good friend of mine. He’s an engineering student at the American University of Beirut and has a breed of sarcasm I am very fond of. This is hopefully the first of many guest blog posts on Gino’s Blog.com =)

Recent music trends, as a friend of mine so clearly pointed out, are all seemingly geared toward themes of moral depravity. Hedonist and erotic themes dominate the pop charts and air on the radio with little or no real monitoring. Exhibit A: A song called S&M was number 1 a few weeks ago. For those who aren’t familiar with the song, or what S&M means, try googling it with google pictures. (if your parents are around or there are kids in the room, it is generally not advisable, even with safesearch on)

In any case, I’d like to think most if not all of us have thought of how our era is going to be defined in music. The 60s had the beatles, the 70s had the eagles and pink Floyd, the 80s had disco and the 90s had micheal Jackson. What do we have? Lady gaga? Rihanna? Pitbull?  Will our decade be defined by lyrics like “sticks and stones may break my bones but chains and whips excite me” and  simply “why don’t we just fuck?” . I mean, come on.

However, all hope may not be lost just yet. Historical evidence shows that the songs that last are not the ones that top the charts, but the ones that can apply whenever, wherever and to whomever. Lets travel back a few years. Im sure most of us remember the great summer hit “my neck, my back”. Back then, it was the most depraved piece of garbage we’ve yet to hear, and we ate it up! We all used to sing it, it was a classic. But come to think of it, where is it now? Is it played on the radio at all? Does anyone even still have it on his playlist? Where did it go? It just vanished. Or “its getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes”, the song which happened to top the 2002 charts. Yea I’ve a hard time remembering it aswell. But I think most of us would still listen to “by the way-Red hot chilli peppers” also released in 2002.

An even better example: We all know and love pink floyd’s the wall. It may not come as a shocker, but no it was not number one on the charts in 1980. Blondie’s “call me” was.

The main idea remains, that our so called depraved music is like eating junk food. It comes in as processed crap, we digest it, it leaves as twice processed crap and we forget about it after a week of explosive diherria, never to be heard of again. However, the songs with real substance, the ones that last, we may not hold in the highest regard now, but back in the day, even Shakespeare was made fun of. The human race will come around, trust me J

Till then, enjoy all the R-rated content the airwaves offer, before the Lebanese authorities figure out what most of the lyrics mean and eventually censor pretty much everything!

Filed Under: Artsy Fartsy, Guest Bloggers Tagged With: ,

The Owl, Revealed

April 10, 2011 By 9 Comments

With all the ambiguous and weird graffiti on Bliss Street, from Snow White with an M16, to unknown URLs, one spray-painted figure stands out as the least-understood. The Owl sprayed over and around other graff arts never had an adjunct title or URL, and with Google Goggles turning up unsatisfactory search results, the Owl remained a mystery for months, until last night…

My dear friend Lea Schwenzner sent me a link via Facebook, and seconds later I was watching this:

Needless to say, I had freed myself post-midnight Saturday and was ready to explore this subculture I had overlooked for some reason, and one I am direly in need of after my beloved Basement was put on hiatus.

I won’t pretend to be an expert on the guys behind the Owl, Acousmatik System, so I’ll quote their blog which you can explore for yourself here.

Acousmatic System is a non-profit organization responsible for cultural exchange in music accompanied by various art forms.

We aim to expose local talents to the outside and vice versa. Our goals manifest through introducing electronic and experimental music production to the Lebanese audience and exposing alternative local art to both Lebanese and foreign scenes. We seek to establish connections in these circles to widen our fleet and defy the mainstream activities imposed by our rotting society. We target the underground scenes beyond borders, and intend to stay underground.

Now, they will forgive me for going above-ground with this, but as a zealous non-mainstream advocate myself, I have an obligation to let others know that these scenes exist, so they experience and join it themselves!

The man of the night was French DJ and producer Niveau Zero, whose live performances of Dubstep and Breakcore, heavily influenced by Metal and other heavier electronic genres, have taken the French electronic underground scene by storm for the past few years.

He creates and compiles his fast-paced, heart-pumping tracks live, with his dreadlocks whipping back and forth with the bass, his free hand pounding the air, his feet stomping away behind the decks, loop machines, laptops and synthesizers being utilized. The clubbers, do the same, with varying degrees and intensities, but all constant throughout the live set.

The Belgian X&Trick’s Neorave genre was the perfect follow-up to Niveau Zero’s set, with the Drum and Bass-style layout with a fairly fluid organization of to-and-fro ups-and-downs in the beautiful purely synthetic music.

The lineup featured a total of 10 artists, with 5 live acts including Niveau 0 and X&Trick, and 5 DJ sets. 2 VJs were also on-call, making sure the visual stimulation was up to the standards of the auditory one.

What was striking is the perfect harmony of elements of metal with a heavily electronic genre. There is no debating Dubstep’s electronic origin, but the attitude portrayed in the music is very similar to that of Rock’s Heavy Metal. The overpowering attitude of releasing whatever’s inside and the recklessness and carelessness that accompanies it is probably the appealing factor of the genre, at least for me, a scathing critic of Rock.

The creation of electronic sounds infused with the attitudes heavy electronic and heavy metal share, released this type of music from the tight constraints of traditional music (drums, guitars, etc.) and into the endless possibilities of the digital one.

The music, clubbers and performers were in fact a hybrid between electronic music connoisseurs, metal head-bangers and carefree Rastafarians, and all their derivatives. In essence, it was a dreadlocked-DJ who was able to transform what were traditionally mortal enemies, into a harmonious sub-culture of all music underground and non-mainstream.

What was enjoyable is that everyone was happy and friendly. There was no pushing, chest-pumping or the usual dick-measuring rituals we see in Lebanese clubs and events. If I wanted to pass through, the person in my way would let me pass, not pretend I don’t exist and when I try to pass, start a scuffle to impress his hired girlfriend.

The depression-like symptoms you’d normally see in a typical Lebanese club (probably due to being robbed by the management, hating the music, being harassed by the bouncers or the unpleasant fellow-clubbers) were non-existent. You could dance, jump, shout and pretty much everything else without being given condescending looks by people who really just yearn for a taste of that feeling of pure rapport with the music and room-full of clubbers.

The uplifting, yet underground, happy, yet subdued, meaningful, yet carefree atmosphere was a beautiful one that I genuinely enjoyed. It was a liberating night of actual raving, a much-needed one I might add. I saw a lot of old friends I haven’t seen for a while, and met some I only knew in cyberspace. Bottom-line is, when I  went for my ritualistic after-party Freddy’s cheese and chips hotdog, I had a smile on my face, instead of whining to Freddy about the crappy party/management/people…

Check out Acousmatik System’s website, blog, Myspace page, Facebook page and Twitter account

Filed Under: Artsy Fartsy, Clubs, Leb Tagged With: , ,

The Amalgam’s Newest Addition: Maya Zankoul’s Zankoulizer is Now Online!

April 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

You’ve undoubtedly seen a Maya Zankoul comic critiquing a particular aspect of Lebanese society at some point in your life. Maya is a brilliant Lebanese cartoonist who has already published two books (Maya’s Amalgam Vol. 1, Vol. 2 with Vol. 3 on the way!) and runs the Maya’s Amalgam Webcomic. Her witty and right-on-the-spot sketches have won a place in many people’s heart, paving the way for Maya’s newest ambitious project:

The Zankoulizer! www.zankoulizer.me, is a nifty website that allows you to create your own Maya Zankoul-style avatar in a matter of seconds. These avatars have begun popping up on my Twitter timeline and Facebook news feed, and I’ve featured the one I made of myself here –>! (Not as handsome as me, but still pretty cool =D)

I wanted to ask Maya about this new project, her previous work, and what’s in store for the future, and the result was this interview =D

How long have you been sketching?

I’ve been sketching since I was a child! However, the style of sketching has evolved and it has been part of my profession for the past 5 years. I studied illustration as part of the BA in Graphic Design program, and of course followed by personal experimentation with the laptop. I sketch on the laptop and not using a pencil and paper. I spend most of my time on the computer and find it more enjoyable to draw directly on the screen using the trackpad.

When did you decide to create the Zankoulizer, and how long did it take to become a reality?

It’s an idea that’s been on my mind since last summer, however I couldn’t work on it for many reasons, some of which are too much work and not finding a good developer to do the website without using flash. Finally, I decided to coincide it with the launching of the new office so I worked on it intensively the past 3 weeks to be able to launch a 1st draft of it on April 1.

What’s next in line for your cartoons? Could we possibly see them animated eventually?

That is exactly my dream! I tried animating them myself, in an amateur way since I am not an animator (see  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Kq-18YguVM and  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9FcnUeLOtY ).

Hopefully I can turn them into a professionally animated series, with longer stories, more characters (inspired from the Zankoulizer characters maybe?!). There’s no clear and defined plan, but that would require a lot of work, support and a bigger team. Also, I’d like to publish Amalgam vol. 3 with totally new content by the end of 2011 or in 2012.

How easy is it to make it in the arts business in Lebanon, especially one centered online?

For me, it has been super-easy! I work in a very intuitive manner with not much planning and calculating. I take a lot of ‘serious’ projects (websites, iphone apps, corporate identities, etc.) which allow me to self-fund the work that I love doing, which is all that is relating to ‘amalgam’ (my blog, my books, the zankoulizer). Plus, the fact that most of my work is online makes it even easier: everyone’s on Facebook and Twitter which makes sharing your work as easy as a click. That’s how it all started, before I even knew there was a whole ‘science’ called social media

What do you do during the day? Is sketching your full-time job?

I’m a professional graphic designer. I work on many things besides sketching, so it is not my full-time job, but part of it. I work on UI/UX design for websites, iPhone and iPad apps. I also work in Graphics (posters, infographics, ads, etc.) and corporate identities (Logos, Business cards, etc.). You can find out more about that on pro.mayazankoul.com, my newly launched “professional” website.

Will Meen’s next album cover be a Maya Zankoul special?

I cannot disclose such confidential information! :P (Kidding). I would be honored to collaborate with Meen on any of their upcoming projects, but so far I can only say that their next album (cover and content) will be mind-blowing and sensational. I have the chance to share an office with them and thus get sneak previews of their upcoming album. I am already in love with it and can’t wait for it to be out!!

Filed Under: Artsy Fartsy, Leb, Tech Tagged With: , ,

Beirut أ Love You (أي لوف يو نوت) by Guest Blogger Ellen Francis

March 31, 2011 By 9 Comments

Whenever I hear the words “Arabic” and “TV series” in the same sentence, the first thing that comes to mind is Maria Mercedes. For some reason, I always picture an overly-exaggerated drama in which Maria either cheats on her husband, suffers a tragic brain trauma, or both. The sad truth is that Lebanese cinema and TV have been tainted with cliché war movies, badly translated Mexican series and cheesy Turkish shows (no offence to any Mohannad fans).

This is why I couldn’t help but smile when I heard that LBC has started broadcasting a new Lebanese-made series. ”Beirut I Love You ” revolves around the lives of 5 young people, their personalities, their relationships, and how it all intertwines with their bond to Beirut.  The show is written and directed by aspiring moviemakers, Cyril Aris and Mounia Akl, who founded the amateur film crew “An Orange Dog Productions” in 2009.

This recent label rose to pop-culture fame earning many international awards with two no-budget videos you can, scratch that, you HAVE TO watch on YouTube. The first, Beirut I Love You (I Love You Not) which inspired the creation of the series, depicts life in Beirut by telling the love story of Tarek and Yasmine. The second is a 3-chapter short film called Cheers to Those Who Stay that can only be described as freaking brilliant.

Another smile-inducing aspect of the TV/web series is the fact that it’s promoting all types of local talent, especially rising bands such as Mashrou’ Leila and White Trees by using their music as soundtrack.

For once, this is something that doesn’t center on the declining political situation, about which saying “been there, done that” would be a giant understatement. It’s a welcome change, and especially after the success of Shankaboot, it just might restore faith in the future of Lebanese Cinema. So, either tune into LBC every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 7:50 pm or watch the 4-minute episodes uploaded every Monday on their website www.beirutiloveu.com.

Whether it’s the eternal charm of the places we love like Hamra and Gemmayze, or the colorful characters of people like Abou Ali the Corniche coffee vendor, there’s something gripping in there that everyone will be able to relate to.

 

Filed Under: Artsy Fartsy, Guest Bloggers, Leb, Movie Reviews Tagged With: , ,

Nova Fames in Motion: A Lebanese Independent Filmmakers Initiative

March 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

It seems the buzz words for Lebanese movies are Shankaboot and Caramel… However, Lebanon has a lot, and I do mean a lot of untapped or undiscovered cinematography talent.

When they are discovered, it’s usually by another, more culturally-conscious country where art and movies are celebrated instead of pirated and sold for less than a dollar.

Most of you, including me, will recognize Nova in Sin el Fil as a rock and metal venue, but these guys are dedicating each Sunday night for Lebanese directors, producers, film students, and other creative individuals involved in the film industry. Apart from paying tribute or appreciating previous projects and accomplishments, the participants will have the chance to network and collaborate on future endeavors.

With the absence of any official body or organization to help incubate and develop the Lebanese film industry, this initiative by the Nova Frames in Motion team is a much-needed opportunity for many movie-making entrepreneurs.

So, if you’re a filmmaker, maker sure you submit your work and be featured, with Q&A sessions and discussions about the short Lebanese films, short foreign films and of course a feature film selected by the audience of the previous week.

Entrance is just 10$ with one free drink, and it starts THIS Sunday April 3!

Here’s the program for Saturday night

Follow them on Facebook

Filed Under: Artsy Fartsy Tagged With: ,

Artsy Fartsy – Jad Chamaa Photoshoot

March 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

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Here are a couple of dozen photos taken by Jad Chamaa. In the photos, you can see me, Yuri Zoghbi, Maroun Hayek, Christopher Chehlaoui, Ralph Samaha, Vahe Marakian and Ara Kamakian at La Marina Joseph Khoury, Dbayeh, well beyond anyone’s bedtime.

I won’t describe the technique used to take these, but I’m sure all you pro photographers can work things out yourselves. As for as lay people, enjoying the end product is satisfying enough =D

Filed Under: Artsy Fartsy Tagged With: ,

Mazen Abdallah: Not As Lazy As You Think…

November 9, 2010 By 3 Comments

Mazen Abdallah is a very weird person. Fortunately or unfortunately (can’t tell yet since he has yet to configure my Android to AUB’s wifi), I got to meet him through yet another weird person, Fouad Badaoui.

For those of you who were at the Beirut Comedy Festival, you’ll definitely remember Mazen. However, unlike his stage-mates, Mazen is like a lot of stuff that catch my eye: “underground”. Whether that is on purpose or not, is yet to be determined though…

Standup comedy had a few golden “weeks” in Lebanon before they went down in flames. Maybe because people clapped instead of laughed, or just got tired of paying to hear jokes that weren’t always funny and didn’t really relate to their lives in Lebanon. And when the jokes did try to relate, it was usually using the silly cliches like potholes, wars and other stereotypical funny stuff which eventually gets old fast, especially if you’re the one being stereotyped.

Mazen’s approach is different though, and I have learned never to eat when around him for fear of choking to death. This man can turn anything that happens into something hilarious, on the spot, with no obvious preparation. He might link a bag of chips, to me being a scout, Fouad’s club aspirations and eventually either his pointless life choice of Philosophy major or the other favorite joke finale: religious fundamentalist, or just plain religious people…

Mazen might look like a mentally challenged, poorly groomed ancestor of a human, but this guys knows a lot. I guess being a philosophy major involves a lot of reading, which has definitely paid off in his punch lines that are often wittier than expected, invoking even more laughter at something that isn’t actually funny cause it’s stupid, but because it betrays certain intellectual logic and fallacies that might pass as just funny, or for the person actually understanding where this is coming from, hilarious.

Why am I saying this now? Cause on thursday he’s performing in AUB’s West Hall 6:00-8:00 PM for just 5,000 LL, so try to be there =D

RSVP on Facebook

Filed Under: Artsy Fartsy, AUB Affairs Tagged With: , , ,

Night of the Ad Eaters Review by Sabine Massaad

November 8, 2010 By 1 Comment

 

It was one of those ironic moments in life. Eagerly driving down to UNESCO to sit through a six hour montage of the one thing we deliberately choose to skip in real life- advertisements. The minute I walked in I felt a wave of flyers, free samples, and gift bags make their way into my palms. I was hooked: that may have been the free Dunkin Doughnuts coffee or they may have achieved their goal for the night- public attraction. I entered the hall to find my seat already taken by yet another gift bag, it was like every holiday known to man in one night.

The whole point of the night was to pay tribute to some of the best television commercials internationally, the event was happening on the same weekend in 40 different countries, presenting 500 ads of 60 nationalities.

And so it began, after the words “The night of the Adeaters” flashed on the screen in more languages than I knew existed, commercials began to play. The commercials ranged from witty, hilarious, to slightly disturbing, and extremely mind-boggling. It was kind of like seeing your life flash before your eyes, so many different scenes different concepts; it really stimulates your mind and lets you know that speech is not the only form of communication. Weirdly enough, once it was all over I didn’t feel overwhelmed by the excessive advertisement I had just been subjected to, I started to keep a lookout for any smart slogans, and pause before changing the channel once they switch to commercials. “The night of the Adeaters” was a hit, if you weren’t there you probably missed the ad.

 

Courtesy of BNL

Filed Under: Artsy Fartsy, Guest Bloggers, Leb, Movie Reviews Tagged With: , ,

Photography at Work – Artsy Fartsy Photography Series

September 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

With today’s technology, one can not only take brilliant photos, but also share them ubiquitously with the rest of the world. Unfortunately, with these wonderful abilities come lots of disasters. We try to find the exceptions to this rule… In this series, we will try to cover the amateur photographers who make the most of their hobby, and turn it into their passion that inspires many people.

Our first feature will be Harry Simitian:

Lately, many photography blogs have emerged, but few really live up to displaying fine art photographs, photos that convey the photographer’s feelings, capture the essence of the subject, and inspire the viewer. One of those exceptional blogs is “Photography at Work” a blog created by a thirteen year old Lebanese boy, named Harry, to showcase the photographs he takes with his Nikon D5000.

Harry’s subjects vary from nature, landscape, to sports photography. Below are a few of the photographs that can be found in the blog.

Satellite

Bumblebee

Spring is Here

Korean Taekwondo Master

Strawberries

Tree of Life

To view more of the photos check out his blog at

http://photographyatwork.blogspot.com/

Filed Under: Artsy Fartsy Tagged With: , ,

Aya Se3a Byousal El Tren? PICTURES + REVIEW

August 30, 2010 By 3 Comments

On Sunday August 29th, Ani and I headed to a site we never knew existed: the Araya-Chouit train station. After Google-mapping the towns, we set off and arrived there early.

Early to what you might ask? Well, the reason we did hear about this is through Books in Motion’s (BIM) series of theatrical pieces written and directed by renowned Lebanese director Lucien Bourjeily, produced by Denise Marooney and amazing puppet design by Randy Ginsburg (a UK-based artist). Araya proved closer than the other featured train stations, and once we got there, I was confident I made the right choice.

Parking on the main road, we came across a cute little puppy, sitting alone on the side of the street with a broken arm. I petted the dog, made sure she stayed off the road, and continued to the train station. She followed us there, and despite our attempts to find her a safer place to stay, she insisted on coming too. Once we got to the site proper, fortune was on our, and Chouity’s side (I called her that cause we found her in Chouit and she was a real sweety = Chouity) a couple of dozen orphans from SOS villages were there having a picnic before the play started. They were ecstatic when Chouity found them, and she couldn’t have been happier, running around, with a limp, from child to child. We will get back to Chouity later.

The first thing you see once you reach the station is the impressive water tower. Locomotives of the day used steam-powered engines and water was a necessary supply along with coal at every station. The rusted water tank had scars all-too familiar to many old Lebanese structures: shrapnel holes. The damage littered the metal shell that once held well over 4000 liters of water and ensured 24/7 operation of the train station.

To the right of the tower, a small booth stands, roofless and doorless. It’s what remains of the ticketing kiosk my dad and his scouts troupe used to bargain at for lower ticket prices to make feasible their scoutly excursions into places as far as dahr el baydar. Nowadays, no humans stand in line in front of this ticketing office, and the only scouts are bees looking for fresh flowers to replenish the dozens of beehives that are kept in lines in front of the guichet.

Then, the station itself looms from between the heavy forest (something not so common anymore in Lebanon). The façade and interior tell stories of what this place used to be and how history has forgotten it. In many places, the brick-red outer façade has been ravaged by vegetation, water erosion and man-made damage. The roof tiles are loosely held together, faltering over the decaying windowpanes and shutters. Below the 2-story-high building, the sign read “Chouit Araya” in Arabic and French, over a segment of the building which had caught on fire many years ago, and was now exposed to the elements.

Inside, everything was devastated. Stairwells, roof beams, and even floor tiles were reduced to rubble. Amidst this sad situation though, patches of intricately designed ceramic tiles stand out, reminding the beholder that this was once an awe-inspiring sight, one that symbolized Lebanon’s once vibrant and promising circulatory system.

After going over every centimeter of the location, the spectacle was about to begin. The official in charge of railroads and trains in Lebanon (at first I thought it was a joke and laughed… another brilliant example of how the government wastes money and spends resources on a sector that has been dead for over three decades) took the ‘stage’ and described the Lebanese Railway System’s Golden Age back in the 50s. He expressed his remorse that the railway system is no more, and insisted if it were brought back to life, many of Lebanon’s infrastructure and pollution problems would be solved. An environmentalist also added on what the trains official had to say, insisting public transportation in the form of trains, was the ideal solution.

The president of the municipal council of Chouit then elaborated on the historical, social and sentimental value of this once splendid station, which once joined two neighboring towns, torn apart by civil war. He lamented those days, and acknowledges the link and friendship is stronger than ever, but there is no Chouit-Araya station to be testament to that brotherly bond.

The play then began. The satirical comedy retells the folk story of treasure buried by Ottoman soldiers near the Riyak train station as their forces fled the oncoming British onslaught in 1918. The actors and actresses seamlessly merge song, stand-up comedy, puppetry and drama to deliver a truly unique, lighthearted and delightful theatrical piece.

I’d like to mention a few things I found very nice: the puppets were amazingly constructed from everyday objects like pans and dishes and balls. Also, in a segment where the actors speak Turkish, the actors performing the dialogue held up cue cards with an Arabic translation of the conversation (like subtitles, hehe)

As for Chouity, she watched in amusement as the play unfolded and the dozens of people clapped and cheered. After being fed and given water by the cast and crew, one of the cast members volunteered to take Chouity to a shelter, where she will be cleaned, vaccinated and relocated to a loving family. So, apart from the awesome location, amazing play and insightful messages, we all got to save the life of a beautiful little puppy.

All in all, let’s hope this initiative helps spark the much-needed attention to a potential life-saver for Lebanon’s traffic jams and pollution. I would like to end this post by borrowing a few words from the actor who played one of the main characters, did the voiceovers and made us all laugh plenty, Raouf Khelifa: “Nshalla yerja3 el tren yemshe, ta nirja3 n2ool toot toot 3a Beirut…”

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Filed Under: Artsy Fartsy, Leb Tagged With: , , , ,

Beirut Film Festival

August 26, 2010 By 2 Comments

From the 19th till the 23rd of August, movie enthusiasts in Lebanon jam-packed Empire Sofil, a small movie theater in Ashrafieh, to catch films and video clips by Lebanese directors chosen and presented by Né a Beyrouth.

This year’s 9th Lebanese Film Festival (the festival Né a Beyrouth began in 2001) proved to be a great success, with the two theaters being sold out throughout the festival.

The tickets to the film festival are 5 dollars and give you access to all screenings throughout the four days of the festival, as a result the theaters became overcrowded where audiences had to sit on the stairs or stand up by the exits (It is worth it if you are a movie connoisseur and are tired of watching Hollywood Blockbusters). Pay another 5 dollars and you could buy a catalog with overviews on each film. During the closing ceremony, three prizes were given out to the top three films; audiences could attend by paying an additional 25 dollars.

During the opening ceremony, four movies were screened, “Takhabot” by Ghassan Halwani, “Masmou7 Lasek Al El3anat” by Tarek Chemaly, “Hinkerort Zorasune” by Vatche Boulghourjian and “Le Temps de la Balle” by Hervé Jakubowicz.

The highlight of the evening was Vatche Boulghourjian’s “Hinkerort Zorasune”, translated as “The Fifth Column”, a film already highly acclaimed by this year’s 63rd Cannes Film festival, touched audiences, with some even admitting to tearing in some parts of the film. The Synopsis of the movie as described in the Cannes Film Festival’s official site “A chronicle of desperation and mourning in the economically and culturally marginalized Armenian quarter of Beirut through a weave of allegorical narratives. In a panic, Hrag has stolen his father’s gun and fled home. As father searches for son, both discover paths to personal freedom in a city that offers no escape.”

The Movie won 3rd place in the Cinéfondation Selection at the Cannes Film Festival.

Another significant movie in the film festival was Bahman Ghobadi’s “No one knows about Persian Cats” a film made in collaboration with the Human Rights Watch, which documents the underground music scene of Iran and the hardships Iranian musicians suffer because of the strict regulations of the Islamic Republic.

Unfortunately, due to the overcrowding of the theaters I was unable to watch the film.

This year’s prizes went to:

1st prize “The Fifth Column” by Vatche Boulghourjian

2nd prize “Al Mathana by Rami Kodeih

“Meilleur premier film” award “Au milieu des Autres” by Renée Awit and “November” by Mirella Salame

And “Wadi Khaled” by Christophe Karabache got a “Mention Spéciale”

For those of you who hadn’t known of the film festival or couldn’t make it, you can still catch some of these amazing films in “Ayyam Beyrouth Al Cinema’iya Arab Film Festival” from the 15th till the 22nd of September in Empire Sofil. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Artsy Fartsy, Leb, Movie Reviews
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