Please join us in the next Badaro Talks event where we will screen the documentary film ”Beirut Port Blast Stories” by Chérine Yazbeck. After the film, she will be accompanied by another documentary filmmaker Carmen Labaki in conversation with FIME’s Susanne Dahlgren: How do filmmakers document reality? What can researchers and scholars learn from the visual language documentary filmmakers use in recording and commenting on current events?
When: Wednesday 15th of October at 6pm.
Where: The FIME premises at 30 Badaro Street, Chaoui Building, 5th floor meeting room.
You can also attend online by registering for the event.
RSVP: We kindly request you to RSVP through this link or by sending an email to institute@fime.fi at the latest on Tuesday 14th of October.
Beirut Port Blast Stories (2023, directed by Chérine Yazbeck)
On August 4, 2020, a catastrophic explosion tore through Beirut’s port, killing hundreds, wounding thousands, and devastating one of the Middle East’s most vibrant cities. Beirut Port Blast Stories, directed by Chérine Yazbeck, chronicles the aftermath through the voices of four individuals who lost loved ones, weaving personal testimonies with the city’s struggle for justice and recovery.
The documentary begins with survivors’ harrowing recollections of that day—the chaos, destruction, and sudden loss. Among them, a grieving brother recounts the desperate search for his sibling, while a veterinarian turned activist emerges as a leading voice in the fight for accountability. Their stories highlight both the anguish of loss and the determination to confront the corruption and negligence that caused the tragedy.
Alongside these testimonies, the film pays tribute to the port’s storied past, once an architectural landmark, through the memories of a longtime worker. Nostalgic images of its heyday are contrasted with footage of its ruins and the painstaking cleanup over 30 months.
Ultimately, the documentary is both an act of remembrance and a call for change. It bears witness to the resilience of Beirut’s people, their refusal to forget, and their hope that from destruction can rise justice and renewal.
Bios
Chérine Yazbeck is a Beirut-based multidisciplinary artist whose work moves between photography, film, and installation. Her artistic journey began in photojournalism, where she developed a sharp eye for documenting reality. Over time, she fused her journalistic practice with experimental and multimedia approaches, creating a distinctive language that bridges truth and artistic expression.
Her work is deeply rooted in the city she calls home. Beirut—marked by beauty, loss, destruction, and resilience—has been her enduring source of inspiration. Themes of memory, absence, and transformation recur throughout her practice, particularly in her exploration of urban ruins and urbex photography.
Through bold installations, evocative documentaries, and photographic series, Yazbeck confronts the unfolding crises of her city while posing urgent questions about justice, survival, and collective memory. Born in 1970, she continues to live and work in Beirut, producing works that echo both personal and collective narratives.
Carmen Labaki is a movie director, producer & journalist of Lebanese Brazilian nationality, founder of LUMENS Film Production. Her films invite discovery & suspense, urging to listen, observe & adapt to the unforeseen. She has directed & produced numerous documentaries & reports worldwide, driven by a passion for storytelling that seeks to film the reality, with a strong focus on sociological & anthropological themes. She collaborates with numerous international media, television, radio & newspapers, thanks to her fluency in 5 languages. She has won many prizes & been honored for her work. In a later event, we will have the opportunity to see her film “I Knocked on the Temple’s Door. Documentary on Freemasons.”