71/ Bearing Witness to What is Lost: Lebanon’s ‘Postwar’ Hauntings (with Ely Dagher)

This is a conversation with Lebanese director Ely Dagher. He is the director of the Palme D’Or-winning Waves ’98, one of my favorite short films. He also has an upcoming feature  film called The Sea Ahead. Get early access + more perks at Patreon.com/firethesetimes Blog: https://thefirethisti.me You can follow on Twitter or Instagram @ firethesetimes too. Topics discussed: Waves ’98 The image of the city The 2015 ‘You Stink’ Lebanon uprising: context/background The  feeling of history repeating itself: Waves ’98 features the 1998 waste  crisis which led to the 2015 waste crisis (which led to the uprising) Inter-generational anxiety: ‘I don’t want to end up like them’ On resilience and why it’s a failed notion The ‘ghostly figure’ in literature and movies, including in Lebanon Haunting from the future, the feel of being stuck (permanent liminality) The post-August 2020 port of Beirut moment Interesting comparisons between Lebanon and Hong Kong, and their relationship with the past and future How do we live day to day while also being in a state of anxiety? (his upcoming film) How Beirut is portrayed in Waves ’98 and how Beirut has changed since the 90s The relationship to the city and the sea in Beirut Beirut as a ghost town Hauntings in Waves ’98 and in real life; cyclical hauntings Our peculiar relationship with Television Our complicated relationship with the sea growing up in post-1990s Lebanon The politics of decay (my essay on the topic) war/post-war vs war/not-war The anticipation of violence ‘wartime’ Is there a way out of that cyclical haunting? Recommended Books & Movies The Agony of Power by Jean Baudrillard Persona by Ingmar Bergman Caché by Michael Haneke The music is by Tarabeat.