Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Wednesday, July 9, 2025
    961
    Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok
    • Breaking News
    • Guides
    • Food & Drink
    • Listicles
    • Join the Team
    • Whatsapp
      • 961
      • 961 News
    Advertise with Us Get the App
    961
    Home»News»Lebanon News
    REUTERS'Issam Abdallah | labiennale
    3 Mins Read

    Documentary About Beirut Blast Officially Nominated For Venice Film Festival (Video)

    By Souad LazkaniJanuary 8, 2021Updated:January 29, 2021
    Facebook WhatsApp Copy Link

    On August 4th, 2020, Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, was torn to shreds. While it is slowly rebirthing, the pain is forever engraved in the hearts and souls of people across the city and beyond.

    However, one of the heaviest burdens lies on the shoulders of journalists, reporters, photographers, and videographers, who have worked to immortalize the tragic event in the media so that it is never forgotten.

    One of those stories, a documentary entitled ‘Beirut Explosion’, was just officially nominated for the Venice Film Festival for the Best Short Documentary award.

    We reached out to Lebanese independent journalist Luna Safwan who was chosen as the producer in Beirut for this documentary, done for SkyNews Arabia’s show called “The story القصة”.

    Very happy to share that our documentary for @skynewsarabia "Beirut blast" is officially nominated for the Venice Film Festival – best short documentary award!

    The production of this documentary was one of the hardest jobs I have ever done, right after the #beirutblast.
    Link ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/dK28AYkBGz

    — Luna Safwan – لونا صفوان (@LunaSafwan) January 7, 2021

    It turns out the original documentary had a different script altogether. But that was just before August 4th, after which nothing was the same.

    In a tragic twist of fate, Luna and the Beirut team found themselves challenged with changing all their plans and scripts, quickly getting back up on their feet, numbing the pain, and putting themselves to work.

    Sky News

    “The explosions changed everything and within few days we had to arrange interviews and shoot in Beirut as people were trying to pick up pieces of their homes,” Luna said.

    “Some questions were very hard to ask but we had to ask them anyway. I think my hardest interview was with the family of Ghassan Hasrouty. When we shot it, their father’s death hadn’t been declared yet.. so I did not want to ask the wrong questions or assume anything.”

    Hasrouty was one of the dozens of workers at the port who horribly fell victim to the blast. He had been missing for two agonizing weeks before rescue workers recovered his body.

    Ghassan Hasrouty – Courtesy Tatiana Hasrouty

    Another interview Luna recalled was the one with Hassan Hammoud, owner of Dar Gemayze. “[It] was very emotional,” she said. “We had to also take our time because Hassan has witnessed the explosion and he was still in shock so I had to choose how I talk to him very carefully not to trigger any traumas.”

    “The team in Dubai consisted of presenter Faissal Huraiz, producer Mohamad Hamdi, and director Mohamad Mamdouh,” Luna told us.

    As for in Beirut, Luna said it was all made possible by DOP Mazen Hashem and the Beirut team: Khalil Ezzedine, Hadi Raghda, and Ayman Hashem.

    Watch the Venice Film Festival’s nominated documentary of Beirut below:

    Beirut Explosion Lebanon
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email

    For You

    lebanon jounieh cyprus by ferry 961

    You’ll Soon Be Able To Travel Between Lebanon & Cyprus By Ferry

    uae travel ban lebanon 961

    UAE Is Officially Removing The Travel Ban On Lebanon

    Lebanese talking-stage

    15 Things Your Lebanese Talking-Stage Will Tell You, And What It Actually Means

    Joe Issa El-Khoury 961

    Who is Joe Issa El-Khoury, Lebanon’s New Minister of Industry

    Adel Nassar 961

    Who is Adel Nassar, Lebanon’s New Minister of Justice

    Nizar Hani 961

    Who is Nizar Hani, Lebanon’s New Minister of Agriculture

    lebanon jounieh cyprus by ferry 961

    You’ll Soon Be Able To Travel Between Lebanon & Cyprus By Ferry

    20 Celebrities You Probably Didn’t Know Had Lebanese Roots

    April 22, 2019
    caracalla one thousand and one nights

    Caracalla Just Added More Dates For “One Thousand and One Nights” & You Def Don’t Want To Miss It!

    July 5, 2025

    Lebanon’s Shawarma Is Going Viral in The Philippines

    April 21, 2019
    Low-Cost Lebanese Airline 961

    We Might Finally Be Getting A Low-Cost Lebanese Airline – Here’s What We Know

    June 18, 2025
    Lebanese boutiques

    25 Boutiques In Lebanon To Find Your Dream Evening Dress This Wedding Season

    June 9, 2024

    20 Typical Lebanese Slang Expressions

    April 21, 2020
    lebanese beer brands almaza beirut beer 961

    Lebanese Beer Brands Are Publicly Throwing Shade, And It’s Getting Frothy

    June 7, 2025
    lebanon cybergames 2025 hacking 961

    Lebanon Just Won A Global Hacking Competition

    June 10, 2025
    DJ

    10 Lebanese DJs You Need To Check Out This Summer

    August 7, 2024
    961 Logo
    Facebook WhatsApp TikTok Instagram

    Popular Topics

    • Guides
    • Eat & Drink
    • Listicles
    • Lebanon News
    • Diaspora
    • Explained

    961

    • About
    • WhatsApp Channel
    • News WhatsApp Channel
    • Corrections Policy
    • Ownership & Funding

    Services

    • Advertise
    • Careers
    • App Waitlist
    • Contact Us
    • Newsletter
    961™ | All Rights Reserved ©2025
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Okay