Manal Issa, 2024

Filmed in September 2024, just before renewed bombardment in Lebanon, this film draws on long-distance conversations between the filmmaker and Manal Issa, an acclaimed performer in Beirut. Refusing to appear on camera, she reflects on political violence and the ethics of visibility, echoing historic testimonies about sexism and exploitation in cinema while questioning an actor's role in crises.

Elisabeth Subrin: 'I think it's also a testament to rigorous looking. Like I told the cinematographer, Bassem Fayad, when we first met, "You're going to feel crazy because we are just [shooting] objects moving around a table." But there was an incredible amount of study and preparation. References like Stalker, Jeanne Dielman, and still lifes where the level of rendering and light makes it something you want to look at forever. For the colour grading I did not want to go down the road of Westernised Middle Eastern film clichés, like the desert golden wash, or the blue/grey war palette. I wanted something that was beautiful and rich but also not like product placement, not like a Super Bowl ad.'