Locus Cordis + A Frown Gone Mad

Locus Cordis
موطن القلب
Alhasan Yousef, Belgium, Portugal, Hungary 2023, 19 min. Arabic with English subtitles

A Frown Gone Mad
فتنة في الحاجبين
Omar Mismar, Lebanon 2024, 71 min. Arabic with English subtitles

Occupied by Israel since 1967, the Syrian Golan has a heavily military border running through it. Families “cross” it by shouting to their loved ones. From his European exile, in Locus Cordis Alhasan Yousef focuses on the body and the power of sound as sites for the exploration of anxiety, inner isolation, and torn identities, attempting to reconnect with his lost country from afar.

A Frown Gone Mad revolves around a bootleg beauty salon in suburban Beirut that continues to serve its clients amid turbulent times. As another war threatens to engulf the country, exacerbating political and economic crises, business thrives: Botox, filler injections, and other skin rejuvenation treatments remain in high demand. Beyond mastering the art of erasing wrinkles, Bouba, the salon owner, possesses a natural talent for entertainment. As she treats her clients, she engages them in lively and amusing conversations, offering a revealing glimpse into Lebanese society: its resilience, fears, hopes, peculiarities, and contemporary obsessions. (AF)

The first feature documentary by Lebanese visual artist Omar Mismar premiered at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) in 2024.