EXCLUSIVE: L.A. and Cairo-based production company Ambient Light Films has unveiled the trailer for Lebanese director Mira Shaib’s drama Arzé, which was announced as part of the Tribeca Film Festival selection on Wednesday.
The Beirut-set drama stars Lebanese actress Diamand Abou Abboud (The Insult, Insyriated) as a feisty, enterprising single mother whose home-cooked pizza delivery business is jeopardized when her scooter is stolen.
Determined to retrieve the vehicle, which is essential for her only source of income, she sets off on a chaotic journey across sectarian Beirut, dragging along her teenage son.
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Abboud is joined in the cast by Betty Taoutel, Bilal Al Hamwi and Katy Younes.
Arzé is Shaib’s first feature film, after short works including Still… Beirut and Lilacs.
The movie was originally selected for competition at the Cairo Film Festival last fall but its MENA outing was shelved after the event was cancelled due to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Arzé will make its North American premiere in the competitive Viewpoints sidebar of the Tribeca Film Festival, running from June 5 to 16.
“I’m thrilled to share Arzé with the world at one of my favorite festivals in the world. It’s been a long journey from Beirut to the Big Apple,” said Shaib.
“Lots of heart and soul were put into making this film despite delays due to mass protests in Beirut, then the pandemic, then shooting during the worst financial crisis and blackouts Lebanon has ever witnessed, but thanks to my creative team, the writers, DOP, producers, and my amazing cast and crew, we made it happen.”
“I hope the audience sees Beirut the way I do: full of contradictions, chaotic but colorful and beautiful, and its people resilient and still holding on to hope despite everything.”
The film is an Ambient Light production, executive produced by the company’s founding CEO Ali El Arabi and Tariq Al-Naama. It is written and produced by Sam Faisal Shaib and Louay Khraish and distributed by Cinewaves films.
“Arzé tells the story of a woman who transcends borders and resonates universally, beyond Lebanon to the world stage through its portrayal of resilience in the face of adversity,” commented El Arabi.
“The narrative of a single mother striving to provide a better life for her child amidst significant challenges struck me as a tale with global relevance.”
L.A.-based Lebanese co-writers and producers Sam Faisal Shaib and Khraish described the film as a tribute to Lebanese women.
“We wanted to tell a story about our mothers, and all Lebanese women who have held the country together despite everything, and as producers on the ground having worked in Hollywood most of our careers, we were thrilled to go back to Lebanon and shoot the film with local talent in a city we love, Beirut,” they said.