Content Details
To Close Your Eyes and See Fire
Duration: 98’
Language: Arabic, English, French
Subtitle: English
Production Year: 2024
Format: HD
Directors: Nicola von Leffern & Jakob Carl Sauer
Origin: Austria
SYNOPSIS
Beirut lies in ruins. After the explosion in the city’s port, collective trauma rises to the surface. How can life succeed after such a tragedy? The film carefully observes the following three years and zooms in on the lives of Aya – a Syrian refugee girl, Selim – an activist and painter, the Aladdin family – mourning a tragic loss, Yasmin – picking up calls at a suicide prevention hotline, and Andrea – who still believes in the city’s spark for change. Meanwhile, a smoldering fire keeps on lingering in the port’s silos like a cautionary tale. Is it time to leave?.
AWARDS
World Premiere: Zurich Film Festival 2024, Max Ophüls Film Festival – Film Critics’ Award – Best Documentary & Best Music in a Documentary Film, Santa Barbara IFF, International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights, Shanghai International Film Festival 2025, FEST New Directors New Films Festival 2025, EU-Asia Documentary Festival 2025