Lebanon, Of Wars and Men
The Lebanese Wars are a key to what drives the entire Middle East today. The series “Lebanon of Wars and Men” focuses on the extraordinary stories and perspectives of ordinary Lebanese people who lived through three decades of conflict.
Type (Documentaire / Documentaire fiction / Série documentaire)DocumentaryGenre en anglaisHistory & Investigation Written and directed byFrédéric LaffontIn coproduction with Caméra Magica, Umam Productions, INA - Institut National de l'AudiovisuelSupported by CNC, ProcirepBroadcasted by France Télévisions, RTS - Radio Télévision Suisse, TV5 Monde, Histoire TVDistributed by France Télévisions DistributionYear2012Duration3x52min
In “Lebanon: Of Wars and Men,” the people filmed speak in the first person. They do not represent a religious group, a camp, or a party, but share their own individual stories. There is no analysis, only a collection of testimonies, like a mosaic of personal experiences.
The film focuses on coexisting divergent viewpoints. It provides a unique space that can still gather such a diversity of perspectives today.
We are talking about death, loss, and pain, but we also laught, create, and, of course, love. Three decades of wars, three decades of life amidst conflict, three decades of life nonetheless… These are stories of lives transformed, like fragments of a single mosaic.
Press coverage
The testimonies, all moving, intertwine and respond to one another, multiplying the perspectives on seven years of massacres and reprisals. The commentary, subtle, outlines the chronological contours of the conflict without ever weighing down the narrative, which is fully dedicated to bringing forth the collective memory of a people orphaned from its history.
Télérama
A remarkable film that delves into the most intimate aspects, revealing a man's deep humanist attachment to a country worn down by years of deadly rifts.
Le Monde
For three years, Frédéric Laffont collected the memories of the Lebanese. His remarkable documentary series aims to convey a message of peace and hope. The desire to restore the voice that was taken from the Lebanese is at the heart of Frédéric Laffont's three-part documentary series. Without analysis or voice-over commentary, this mosaic of a people torn apart by war gains a universal dimension.
La Croix
Here is a great film, both in content and form. It is not a chronological account of Lebanon since 1975, but rather the perspective of Christians, Muslims, booksellers, taxi drivers, and businessmen...
Ouest France
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