« Shadows of Beirut », Tina Gharavi’s feature film, is featured in the Open Horizons selection at the 67th Thessaloniki International Film Festival. The official programme placed its projection on 6 November 2026 at 5 p.m. in the Frida Lippa room. The film staged the return to Lebanon of a woman living in London, who was called to her dying father.
This production brings together Bulgaria, Lebanon and the United Kingdom. It lasts 87 minutes and combines English and Arabic. Tala Calil took the lead role and co-written the script with the director.
Shadows of Beirut, between family breakdown and return
Lana organized her London life around routines designed to contain obsessive compulsive disorder. The announcement of his father’s illness breaks this balance. In Beirut, she meets Sirine, a first aid worker who accompanies her in this difficult return.
The story thus combines a damaged family relationship, unexpected friendship and confrontation with a long-departed city. Assaad Bouab, Flavia Bechara and Michael E. Rodgers are featured in the credits, alongside Tala Calil.
A shared film between Sofia and Beirut
Production conditions have weighed directly on the production of the film. According to the team’s notes, the shooting was divided between Lebanon and Bulgaria during a period marked by the pandemic, economic collapse and the aftermath of the port explosion of 4 August 2020.
When working in Beirut was no longer possible, the team reconstructed part of the city on an exterior decor of the Nu Boyana studios in Sofia. She shot the remaining scenes in Lebanon about a year later. The images of Beirut on screen are therefore not all from a shooting in the capital.
Tala Calil developed the project from personal experiences, before working with Tina Gharavi on the final scenario. The production notes refer in particular to family remoteness and the traces left by trauma. It is a fiction, not a documentary about the explosion.
International traffic
The Greek catalogue lists the film in Open Horizons. Tina Gharavi had previously directed « I Am Nasrine », which had earned her a BAFTA nomination in the category of first films.
The British communication of the film announced a release on September 25, 2026. His presentation in Thessaloniki is another stage in this international movement. The Garden Cinema in London also recorded in a program with an announced meeting with Tala Calil, hosted by Fatima Serghini.
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