ACCREDITATION FOR THE 7TH EDITION IS NOW OPEN 

MEMORY BOX

( 2021 )
Special Presentations, Career Achievement Awardees |
 
Lebanon
,
France
 |
 Arabic, French |
 102 min

About the film

A beautifully crafted film, revealing a poignant journey through memory and war. As Alex explores her mother’s past in Beirut, long-buried emotions resurface in this richly textured, deeply moving story of adolescence.

Director

Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil Joreige

Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige are two Lebanese filmmakers born in Beirut, they began their careers in the 1990s, engaging in video art, installation, narrative films, and photography. They have consistently interacted with the political and humanitarian issues surrounding them to explore the impact of memory on individuals and communities. Their films have been showcased at major international festivals, including Cannes, Berlin, Locarno, and Toronto, winning several awards. retrospectives of their films have been presented at  The Museum of Modern Art, Flaherty Seminar, Harvard Film Archive, Tate Modern… Their filmography includes: Around the Pink House (1999), A Perfect Day (2005), I Want to See (2008), The Lebanese Rocket Society: The Strange Tale of The Lebanese Space Race (2013), and Memory Box, which “opened” the virtual edition of the Berlin Film Festival in 2021.

Producer

Caroline Benjo, Carole Scotta

Production Company

Screenplay

Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil Joreige, Gaëlle Macé, Fadette Drouard

Cinematography

Josée Deshaies

Editing

Tina Baz

Sound

Rana Eid

Cast

Manl Issa, Rim Turki, Hasan Akil, Clémence Sabbagh, Joe Kodeih

Contacts

International Sales: MC Distribution, Badih Massad, festivals@mcdistribution.me

Producer

Caroline Benjo, Carole Scotta

Production Company

Screenplay

Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil Joreige, Gaëlle Macé, Fadette Drouard

Cinematography

Josée Deshaies

Editing

Tina Baz

Sound

Rana Eid

Cast

Manl Issa, Rim Turki, Hasan Akil, Clémence Sabbagh, Joe Kodeih

Contacts

International Sales: MC Distribution, Badih Massad, festivals@mcdistribution.me

More About Film

Everything begins with a package that arrives for Maya (Rim Turki) at her home in Montreal on Christmas Eve. Her mother (Clémence Sabbagh)  and daughter Alex (Paloma Vauthier) accept the package on her behalf. The mother expresses annoyance, while the daughter is curious and excited about the mysterious box. Initially, the grandmother suggests hiding the package and giving it to Maya the day after Christmas, but as events unfold, she ends up discovering the package that very night.The film is inspired by a true story. The contents of the package—cassettes, photos, videos, diaries—are the correspondence between the director and a friend who emigrated to France to escape the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990). Throughout the 1980s, from ages 13 to 18, she regularly wrote to this close friend. Each of the three women responds to the “entrusted package” which feels like an intrusion into their home, in different ways. For the grandmother, there is no desire to revisit the painful memories that are part of a past life. The mother hesitates to explore pages filled with nothing but death, pain, violence, and loss. Meanwhile, granddaughter Alex immerses herself in the scraps, papers, and photos, approaching them with the sensitivity of a child of the smartphone era. The film unfolds through these three generations of women, weaving a narrative that deeply engages with their experiences. Ultimately, it examines how personal histories cast shadows on those who come after us.The film transitions between different time periods, moving from the coldness of Canada to the vibrant yet fearful Beirut of the 1980s. This era is characterized by constant movement and a sense of danger, as well as a carefree attitude toward life. It also reflects lost innocence and a lively atmosphere infused with the music of that era. Maya’s belongings open the door to a captivating interplay between visual and audio mediums, where war is presented both as tragedy and farce.

Producer

Caroline Benjo, Carole Scotta

Screenplay

Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil Joreige, Gaëlle Macé, Fadette Drouard

Cinematography

Josée Deshaies

Editing

Tina Baz

Sound

Rana Eid

Cast

Manl Issa, Rim Turki, Hasan Akil, Clémence Sabbagh, Joe Kodeih

Contact

International Sales: MC Distribution, Badih Massad, festivals@mcdistribution.me

More About Film

Everything begins with a package that arrives for Maya (Rim Turki) at her home in Montreal on Christmas Eve. Her mother (Clémence Sabbagh)  and daughter Alex (Paloma Vauthier) accept the package on her behalf. The mother expresses annoyance, while the daughter is curious and excited about the mysterious box. Initially, the grandmother suggests hiding the package and giving it to Maya the day after Christmas, but as events unfold, she ends up discovering the package that very night.The film is inspired by a true story. The contents of the package—cassettes, photos, videos, diaries—are the correspondence between the director and a friend who emigrated to France to escape the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990). Throughout the 1980s, from ages 13 to 18, she regularly wrote to this close friend. Each of the three women responds to the "entrusted package" which feels like an intrusion into their home, in different ways. For the grandmother, there is no desire to revisit the painful memories that are part of a past life. The mother hesitates to explore pages filled with nothing but death, pain, violence, and loss. Meanwhile, granddaughter Alex immerses herself in the scraps, papers, and photos, approaching them with the sensitivity of a child of the smartphone era. The film unfolds through these three generations of women, weaving a narrative that deeply engages with their experiences. Ultimately, it examines how personal histories cast shadows on those who come after us.The film transitions between different time periods, moving from the coldness of Canada to the vibrant yet fearful Beirut of the 1980s. This era is characterized by constant movement and a sense of danger, as well as a carefree attitude toward life. It also reflects lost innocence and a lively atmosphere infused with the music of that era. Maya's belongings open the door to a captivating interplay between visual and audio mediums, where war is presented both as tragedy and farce.