A Lover’s Manifesto
ุจูููููุงู ุนููุงุดููู
+A Loverโs Manifesto+
An animated history of Beirut
between 1860 and 1982
Created & Directed by Alfred Tarazi
Lead Animation by Alaa Fleifel ๐
Original Music & Sound by Fadi Tabbal
“A Loverโs Manifesto” is an animated history of Beirut from its inception as a modern city in 1860 to its invasion by the “Isr*eli” army in 1982. It follows the birth and development of two phenomena that have radically changed this city: the Sexual Liberation and the Palestinian Revolution.
Animators: Effa Zantout & Alaa Ayyad
Animation Intern: Elissa Dbouk
Research & Archiving: Maissa Maatouk & Alfred Tarazi
Arabic Translation: Ziad Chakaroun
Projection Mapping: Ayman Nahle
Subtitles: Mario Touma
WARNING
The following imagery may trigger epileptic seizures.
Viewer discretion is advised.
Through a collection of historical narratives, the film recreates the complex history of a city that stood at the vanguard of Arab modernity. As the narration unfolds, we follow the lives of two characters, Georgina Rizk Miss Universe 1971 and Ali Hasan Salameh, the Chief Security officer of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
Through the intertwined destinies of these two popular legends, we explore the profound changes these movements have had on the local and global stage. As the narration develops, we analyze how these two movements created vivid images which paved the way for the transgressions of the Lebanese Civil War. We ultimately follow how in this bloody context, the ideas to liberate land and body were demised by the pornography of flesh and war.
This project started its animation production on January of 2024, and had its debut public screenings in Dora on September of the same year. Two screenings took place before the bombardment of the occupational forces escalated heavily in Beirut. After the temporary ceasefire on November 29th, multiple screenings resumed in the same location, garnering hundreds of visiting audience members, leaving the venue wanting more.
This documentary is one elaborate collage of archived material, woven intricately to tell the stories that hope to make sense of this little place called Beirut.
