Lebanon...

G

greymog

Well-known member
Has anyone on DVX been there? Lived there? Worked there? From there? I feel like I'm the only person here from Beirut and that no one has an idea of what it's like here. Anyone?

I know I'm starting a couple of cafe threads... Curious. Wanna get more into DVX. Make some friends. I like this place.
 
For most of us here our knowledge of Beirut and Lebanon is confined to a few remembered clips from CNN which generally involved violence. Would love to get a wider perspective - looking forward to your posts !
Be tolerant and look upon our ignorance as an opportunity to educate.
Best Wishes.
 
@Doc Bernard: :) Indeed.

@pixelated: Yeah this I know. I get enough of that everywhere I go, it never really bugs me though I don't have the 'pride' thing going on. I'm not very patriotic, as I'm not really from 'anywhere'. I was born in kuwait, 9yrs, sri lanka/singapore for a couple, then to amman jordan, went to college in savannah, france, and new york, then moved to lebanon till now. I'm an Egyptian citizen, hold no other passports, my mother is originally palestinian, but holds the jordanian passport, and I grew up speaking english, really coming to grips with arabic at 18. Even though the first time I went to the us was at 18. Its weird. It really matters very little where I or anyone I meet is from unless they make it matter. All it does is make me feel left out. We're all people etc I'm big on that.

As for Lebanon, its strange. I loved it when I went. But when work really kicked in it starts to get inconvenient. The CNN clips are news. Yes there is mad violence, but in Beirut you don't feel it if you don't want to. I would raise a child in Beirut I think it's perfectly ok. But the bad parts about Beirut are rarely what people abroad think they are. It's the most tolerant place in the mideast. I can have a beer outside, best herb ever, the women are crazy. Too crazy for me. And you have a very religious muslim community there living side by side with the liberals, it's also been called a christian country as well, there's a lot of christians there, and (this is the part no one talks about) there's a jewish community too. I think it's sad that that one's under wraps, but the region is up to its neck in this fight, and I've had it with getting into it. I mean they're all Lebanese, and I've not seen any other place in the mideast as tolerant. Not one.

My problem is the lack of transparency with work. It's money laundering city. We've got no electricity, and internet is novelty at 56k. Transportation is a shambles. The place is basically a failed state and everyone living there trying to earn a decent wage has to pay the price. I know it's my personal experience, I'm sure people ahve other things to say, but I've never had so much work show up on director's reel like in this place. People I don't even know. That's one example, happens a few times a year. Blatantly. The whole 'low budget client woes' month of threads here a while back was a perfect example of what most crewmen I know there experience. That Barry Green post (post #6 in 'would you quit shooting video') made so many people I know change everything about they way they work.

It can be a frustrating place. I know I've been a bit frustrated with it recently, another reason I took a week off. Just couldn't take it. But you get used to a place. I sure do miss manhattan, that's really the only place in the world I didn't feel like some kinda weirdo, cause no one I met in manhattan really gave a crap about where I was from.

I guess it's just me. I'm rambling... but there's good sides to the place too. I'm sure they'll come up in my next post. But I had a bunch of Havana clubs tonight, and am a bit rambly. Did I just say that?
 
@pixelated: everybody's got to be ignorant about something. There's so many places I have no bloody clue about, and the only image in my head would be from some movie made in the states. how else should we learn? Never offended at that man it's my pleasure. I just hope I don't make it sound too bad. I can tell you now that most of the 'ooooo don't go you'll get killed' is much hype unless you really really really ask for it. If you're there for being there you'll find the middle east is quite hospitable...
 
i know nothing about lebanon. maybe you could share some photos or a video so we can get a feel for what it's like there.
 
Wow. Great Post - thanks. Have some more Havana whatevers. This is good stuff. I'll second ugafan - would love to see some shots.

I've not seen any other place in the mideast as tolerant. Not one.
Click to expand...

I've heard that before - glad to see it repeated. It's really really sad that all it takes is a few zealots and there goes the neighborhood.

Some of what you say is a bit confusing - shambles - failed state - etc. Part makes it sound like an entrepreneurs dream - makes me want to pack up a sat dish, some solar panels, some odds and ends and go open an internet cafe. - especially since woke up to first snow of the season this morning.

Your "formative years" sound amazing. Hope you can manage to convert some of that world view to a shareable media.

Best wishes and Be Safe.
 
Hmmm... sorry to already hijack your thread away from Lebanon... but I'll express my ignorance, perhaps, about Kuwait... specifically, I find it surprising that you spent your first nine years there, but spoke only English... is that common?

Anyway, my impression has been that Beirut was historically a very cosmopolitan and culturally diverse/stimulating city, but that the cultural life was quashed a bit during the various periods of violence... sounds like your experience is that it's still thriving? Making a comeback?

Tell us a bit more about the untold Jewish community? And about religious issues in general... especially in relation to Lebabnon's role as a "Christian nation"... am I right in remembering that the British shaped Lebanon's constitution in some way to require Christianity to be the state religion, or to be somehow guaranteed representation in the government?
 
@pixelated. There was a civil war in Lebanon that ripped the place up. It 'ended' in 92, but it is a technical ceasefire up to this very moment. All militia leaders were basically rounded up and given seats in government. And, as ullanta mentioned, we have to have a sunni in power, a shiite in power, and a christian in power (can't remember which is which pm, or president, or speaker of the house). Politically it is a mess, I don't ever have any interest in the topic. I never follow what goes on. We've had a few skirmishes and I'd much rather make sure everyone in the neighborhood is ok than take sides. I am lucky to be a forgeiner in beirut when it comes to this. Beirut is all about taking sides, sadly even at work.

ullanta has a correct impression, and of course, this is where I'm supposed to say yes, its making a wonderful comeback. It ain't. Persian gulf money is coming in, the old buildings are being torn down, and yes it is a financial mess. But it's still Lebanon and this is what our parents would tell us about the place, they're right and this is where pixelated gets it, they'd say 'Lebanon, where they sell their pots and pans if they have to to party for a night"

pixelated, I'd never invest, I'd never ever ever ever open a production house there or anything like that, but I'd take internet cafe up one notch and say... pub/bar.

It's the best thing to do. Even if you don't drink. Tiny small pub. You'll live like a king. in my neighborhood there are 195 pubs now. I wonder which neighborhood's next :) It was gemmayze now it's hamra (my spot).

Friend just walked in... I'll come back to this thread.

Yeah, its a mess, but people know how to stay happy...
 
I to would love to learn more about lebanon. If you have time to get out there and put together some vids, i'm sure many users would enjoy watching. Some of us are so consumed with our work and family responsability we don't have the luxery to travel much, vids with some subtitles or narration would be the next best thing.:)
 
I'll hook up a few vids :) once I get back to town I'll do some shooting... gives me a video to do real quick. I find some posts were deleted? did I screw up? Sorry if I did...
 
It sounds as though you could produce quite the documentary to showcase what life in Beirut is really like, for people unfamiliar with the city and the country.

I've been interested in visiting Syria (Damascus, Aleppo, Palmyra, Krak de Chevaliers) for some time, and would probably have visited Lebanon (Beirut, Baalbek) on the way there or back, but I think I'll wait for matters there to settle before seriously looking at flights.
 
Hey Max, yeah its pretty harsh in Syrian right now, even I won't drive back through from Amman. I doubt things are too bad in Damascus, In Beirut we're feeling nothing really. It's a financial repercussion more than it is physical ie on the street. Beirut is the veteran when it comes to strife so we're really chilling out through all of this.

Maybe one day I'd do the documentary, but I live there now, and all I see is people 'selling' Lebanon, and they seem to like the idea of selling the predicament, an exercise I find tasteless. If I ever make a docu on Beirut it goes to youtube and I don't put my name on it. I am seriously thinking of putting something PhilBloomy on dvx for dvx not caring if anyone takes it. I'll let it download and all avoiding brandnames and the like. Heck you guys can have the footage. Rest assured I'll probably be showing you my life, as opposed to trying to make some kind of statement. It's where I live, it is different but it isn't Mars.

Aleppo's gorgeous, Baalbeck is gorgeous. The food in Syria is the best you can get in the region. Puts Lebanon and the rest of them in its back pocket. Best food, whether you're at a vendor, or (if you're lucky) at someone's house. :) Syria is way friendly too. It's easy to get a smile.

I dunno what's going on in Syria exactly I don't really watch the news. From what I hear on the street its a sketchy ambiguous mess... I dunno, not my thing. The mideast is part of my life, not my entire life. I doubt I'll ever make the 'I'm from Lebanon' Docu. I ain't. Not entirely.

I may very well shoot 'us' in Beirut for you guys. I need stuff to shoot. I wrapped a Roald Dahl short last week, and when I get back I'm taking the seventh stab (yes 7th and shooting included) at a feature I've been trying to complete in vain. I know we have to do a lot more pre and paperwork and even though it must happen I can't stand it cause I just wanna shoot. So I'll shoot filmmakers doing their thing...

P.S. The RD short was fun, it's my first 'wrap' so that's big, but it has several fatal flaws. I will soon 'balls-up' and show it on dvx. The first time I put work here I got two posts, but they were damn good posts, with the best criticism I got ever. And I didn't once feel bad.

Cheers guys, I'm on vacation, pls do write, I can go on for ages on dvx. Internet in Jordan is waaaaaaay better than Beirut.
 
Btw, if you're flying you're fine. I know many american friends who fly back and forth to damascus, not journalists, not activists just friends who like damascus, and as long as you fly you won't have to drive through the serious stuff. I would totally visit. And if you do, pls let me know. I can always be a better shooter, but we got you if you're around ;)

My god if I told a few guys I do post with someone from dvx was comin to town, get ready for the star treatment, and have a camera ;)
 
Ok I've set it up. I've been lookin for reviews on Lebanon and all I find is either "ITS GREAT NOTHINGS WRONG WITH IT ITS PICTURESQUE!!!" or "ITS AWFUL AND EVIL AND DEGRADING TO WOMEN".

So I've cooked up a small list of q's, got me lil crew and a bunch of friends interested in saying a few things, plus a general permit to go out and get some footage, and I'ma call it, "Where's My Camel?"

This is of course inspired by someone I knew who was reminiscing over that old show 'Beyond 2000' and to make a classic protest screamed, "WHERES MY FLYING CAR?"

I was seated somewhere and overheard this foreign lady lament over "It's such a shame you see all the brand names we have back home over here. All the H&M all the Apple all the McDonald's". I was upset, as I gathered (rudely eavesdropping) that she wasn't angry about corporate america (totally different story I haven't the gall to get into) but rather she wanted to see Harems and Sheiks and Camels. Argh. It's like we're not allowed to have those things in our life and it's totally unnatural. I love my mac. I went to college in NY (and paid for it).

So... hence, Where's my camel... this should be a good bit of fun everyone I know is a good sport, I won't talk to strangers, but it's just for dvx, and for me to shoot something. I start Monday and should be done in a week, not a techy project, light grade, 8 bits consumer style from start to finish with a stock lens on whatever. Just to show you a bit of my life.

Thanks for getting me into this guys :)
 
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