The Metropolis Art Cinema Association inaugurated on Wednesday (April 6) the 17th edition of the International Documentary Film Festival with the screening of 'Octopus'.
The award-winning documentary feature-length film that details the aftermath of the Beirut port blast was directed and written by Lebanese director Karim Kassem.
Initially planning to make another film on Lebanon with the same name, Kassem, who landed in Beirut on August 3, 2020, changed the idea behind the film after surviving one of the biggest non-nuclear blasts on record.
“One day before the explosion, I was in quarantine in a hotel facing the port. I was sitting with my mother on the balcony, talking…about the possibility of her leaving the country, and the explosion happened. From this moment the whole idea of (Octopus) changed, and I decided to make another (Octopus).”
The festival is crucial because it presents documentary films, which document reality more than any other forms of expression, said Hania Mroue, director and founder of the Metropolis Art Cinema Association.
The festival which will run for over a week will screen several other documentaries for free across the country.
