Cinema Akil to screen Lebanese films to raise funds for Beirut disaster relief

Works by Nadine Labaki and Ziad Doueiri will show at the Dubai cinema, with money raised going to the Lebanese Red Cross

Nadine Labaki in her film 'Where Do We Go Now?'

Works by two of Lebanon's most esteemed filmmakers will be screened in Dubai this week in a bid to raise funds for those affected by the Beirut explosion.

Cinema Akil, Al Quoz's arthouse cinema, will host four screenings, with money raised from ticket sales going to the Lebanese Red Cross.

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The charity is directly working with victims of the devastating blast that struck the Lebanese capital last week. The disaster, which occurred in the city's port, left at least more than 150 people dead, injured thousands and left hundreds of thousands homeless.

Cinema Akil has chosen films by Nadine Labaki and Ziad Doueiri to showcase as part of its fundraising programme, with 100 per cent of the proceeds going to the charity.

Doueiri's 1998 drama West Beirut will screen at 7pm today and at 2pm on Friday.

The stirring film is set in the Lebanese capital in 1975, when Beirut was divided in two by the country's civil war. The story is focused around 15-year-old Tarek, who, together with his friends, manages to find adventures in the war-torn city, before being struck by the stark realities and emotional ramifications of living in a conflict zone.

Labaki's Where Do We Go Now? will screen at 9.30pm today, and at 1.45pm on Saturday.

The 2011 drama was the director's second feature after Caramel. As well as directing, she wrote and starred in the film. The story takes place in a remote Lebanese village cut off from the rest of the country. Civil war threatens to disrupt the peace of the community, prompting the women of the village to perform a series of absurd scams and stunts, such as faking a miracle, to keep their husbands out of the conflict.

Tickets for the Cinema Akil screenings cost Dh52.50 per person, and can only be purchased online.

In Alserkal Avenue, the cinema, which reopened on June 12, has blocked off many seats to ensure physical distancing, so spaces are very limited.

More information is at www.cinemaakil.com