Waves '98 (Mouj '98)
Ajyal Competition
Ely Dagher / Short Narrative / Lebanon, Qatar / 2015 / 15 min / Colour / DCP2K
In Arabic / English subtitles
Interests: Animation, Coming of age, Biography, Social Issues, Fantasy, Identity
N/A
Rated: Parental guidance advised for viewers under the age of 15. Individuals under the age of 15 are not admitted into cinemas unless accompanied by an individual aged 18 or over.
Synopsis
The complex relationship of contemporary Beirutis to their troubled home city is beautifully imagined in Ely Dagher’s Palme d’Or-winning ‘Waves ‘98’. In the late 1990s, young Omar is disillusioned by his life in the Lebanese capital, where the news is always troublesome and nothing ever seems to change. When he is drawn to a mysterious portal leading to another dimension, for a time Omar is at peace, but eventually the draw of Beirut is inescapable. Distinguished by an intriguing mix of animation and live-action footage, ‘Waves ‘98’ is a moving meditation on the contradiction of feeling lost at home.
About the Directors
Born in Beirut in 1985, Ely Dagher currently lives in Lebanon and Europe. After graduating in Art Direction, Illustration and Animation from the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts in 2007, Dagher focused on New Media and Contemporary Art Studies at Goldsmiths College, London. Working in cross-media platforms including film, video and painting, Dagher’s explores the correlation and possibilities created through the play among cultures, histories and fictions. His short film ‘Waves ‘98’ won the Palme d’Or at the Festival de Cannes in 2015.
Credits
- Director
- Ely Dagher
- Screenwriter
- Ely Dagher
- Producer
- Ely Dagher
- Editor
- Ely Dagher
- Co-Producer
- Nina Najjar
- Music
- Matthew Wilcock
- Production Company
- BeaverAndBeaver
- Sound
- Sound Zelig
- Cast
- Elie Bassila, Cherine Khoury, Roger Ghanem