PART OF MIZNA'S TWIN CITIES ARAB FILM FESTIVAL
A smash hit in Lebanon, this film is an absolute thrill! What About Tomorrow? (Bennesbeh Labokra, Chou?) is a comedic tour-de-force, but it is not a traditional film. It is a charming and hilarious collection of 8mm footage from a performance of Ziad Rahbani’s play in Lebanon from 35 years ago. Rahbani, a well-known musician, artist, and playwright–and son of the legendary Lebanese songstress Fairuz–wrote and starred in an eight-month run of Bennesbeh Labokra, Chou? on the stage in 1978. What About Tomorrow? is the grainy footage from the original recording, restored and digitized with English subtitles. It provides a rare look into Lebanon’s recent cultural past through the serendipitous recording of this delightful staging of a funny and thoughtful play, its endearing cast of characters, and the iconic music of the late Joseph Sakr.
Director's Biography
Ziad Rahbani is a Lebanese musician, pianist, playwright, and political commentator. Much of his work is satire—he has used writing and music to critique the Lebanese Civil War and traditional political establishments. Rahbani first began publishing his written work in the mid-1960s, and he wrote his first piece of music in 1973 for his mother, Fairuz. He is still an active writer and musician in Lebanon.
PRESENTED WITH SUPPORT BY
TWIN CITIES ARAB FILM FESTIVAL
Mizna presents the eleventh Twin Cities Arab Film Festival in partnership with the Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul. The Arab Film Fest showcases modern Arab cinema, featuring debut screenings of independent narrative, documentary, and experimental features and shorts.