The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log

The Lebanon-based Daily Star reports on a fascinating-sounding short film which Tania Khalaf has created as part of her Master’s thesis at the University of North Texas (she was raised in Beirut and was trapped there by the war while visiting last summer), which mixes animated sequences with live action, using contrasting styles to highlight the violence and pointlessness of the war in the Lebanon last summer, moving from innocent scenes of everyday life to the sudden bursts of violence and mutilation as the bombs fall. The newspaper article seems to be particularly struck by the use of animated sequences through the film: “But more than anything else, the use of animation in “Born in Beirut” gives Khalaf leeway to explore more conceptual concerns. Layered between “shocking” news footage and Khalaf’s own documentary footage – often of the war’s aftermath – are cartoon images which give a child’s perspective on violence.

Khalaf did the voiceover herself for the young girl who appears on screen, a largely autographical character. While the animated parts of the documentary are playful and go beyond the realms of the real, Khalaf stresses that they are by no means “fictional.” Rather, they give her the freedom to add another dimension to the film.”

(Tania filming in Beirut, taken from the University of North Texas website)

The only problem with such short films is that they are often very hard for interested audiences (like me) to actually see – if you are lucky they will be part of a film festival, but they rarely make appearances in general cinemas. I do hope this work gets a chance to be seen by people, it sounds intriguing, although it also sounds like it could be hard to sit through on an emotional level, but given the subject matter it should be and that shouldn’t put people off trying to see it anymore than it puts people off reading Maus or Regards From Serbia.