Beirut: The Last Home Movie

Jennifer Fox's documentary debut about one of the seven original aristocratic Lebanese families that live in a 200-year old palace in one of the most bombed out Christian neighbourhoods of Beirut. The director does not directly report on the war, she does not take a political stance, and she does not generalize at any point. As a consequence of her friendship with Gaby Bustros, she becomes interested in the stange situation in which this unusual family tries to hold out. In the midst of the ravages of war, the Bustros family (of which the three sister Gaby, Nyla and Mauna form the central core) devote themselves completely to the maintenance and repair of their house , to which their traditional, sheltered lives are inherently connected. Fox is on a quest for the reason behind this occupation, which at first glance seems senseless. She finds herself in a complex web of personal experiences, views on life, sense of purpose and expectations. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)