The Beirut-set film Dirty Difficult Dangerous, directed by Lebanese-French Wissam Charaf, won the Europa Cinemas Label 2022 in the Giornate competition at the 79th edition of the Venice International Film Festival.
The film, which was screened as the opening film of the Giornate Degli Autori’s selection at the Venice International Film Festival, tells the story of a love affair in Beirut between a Syrian refugee and an Ethiopian domestic worker.
Played by Ziad Jallad and Clara Couture, the two lovers face many financial and health challenges.
However, one day, both Ahmed (Ziad Jallad) and Mehdia (Clara Couture) take the opportunity to flee Beirut and start over somewhere else, as his health starts to deteriorate.
Dirty Difficult Dangerous also casts Rifaat Tarabay and Darina Al Jodi. The film is written by Wissam Charaf, Hala Dabaji, and Mariette Désert and produced by Charlotte Vincent and Pierre Sarraf.
Wissam Charaf’s film is also one of 5 films funded by the Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) in collaboration with the Venice Film Festival’s Final Cut workshop, supporting films in progress from the region.
Here is the trailer of Dirty Difficult Dangerous: