طرابلس / حكاية المدن الثلاثة

Followed by a talk with Raed Rafei

After years abroad, a filmmaker returns to Tripoli, Lebanon, to confront the hometown that once rejected him as a queer child. With a microphone in hand, he wanders through cafés, public squares and parks, talking to residents about their beliefs, hopes and openness to change. Along the way, he meets a cast of unconventional characters: a communist activist, a queer music producer and others whose lives challenge the city’s conservative norms. Through these encounters, he reflects on the complicated ties we maintain with a hometown in crisis. A contemplative portrait of a city caught between stagnation and change.

Raed Rafei is a filmmaker, film scholar, multimedia journalist and Assistant Professor of Film and Media Studies at the University of Pittsburgh.