Versace Jeans Couture released a three-part series of “How We Holiday” that commissioned young creatives from different parts of the world to showcase how they celebrate in various ways the holiday season.
“Dedicated to amplifying strong, young voices, the project celebrates different cultures and ways to spend the holiday season,” Versace wrote.
“With How We Holiday, the brand aims to provide an inclusive vision of festivities and send out an authentic message of hope, love, joy, and togetherness.”
Written and directed by Pamela Nasr, a Lebanese film director and stylist based in New York, the third part of the series tells a story of a group of friends who get stuck on the road on their way to their Christmas dinner, yet still manage to find the Christmas spirit wherever they are.
“When considering the theme of this campaign, my gut reaction was to carry out the project in Beirut. For me, the holidays are synonymous with being home, and in order to authentically portray this, there was no other place to execute it,” Pamela Nasr wrote on Instagram, debuting the project to her audience.
“This was especially challenging given what my country has gone through in the past year; a revolution, Covid-19, and the third most powerful non-nuclear explosion,” Nasr added, mentioning that she directed this film remotely from New York.
“Many factors were set against us, a lockdown curfew in Beirut, a national holiday, major time difference, choppy internet connection. and the aftermath of the explosion.”
Even though the team behind the film worked with the tightest deadline, they managed to shoot the whole project over one long day and edit the final piece in only one week.
This year, Lebanon’s holiday season looks very different compared to previous years, as people continue to mourn the loss of their city, if not a family member, a neighbor, or a friend.
However, despite constant hardship, Nasr emphasized that the Lebanese are able to retain the essence of their culture; community, and spontaneity.
The film seemingly showcased the fashion collection as having “an upbeat soul”, combining 80’s grunge aesthetic with unconventional colourful sets and chunky jewellery.
The short Lebanese film also brought to life a powerful cast that boosted Versace’s ongoing message of body positivity and gender-nonconformity. Anissa Krana, a Lebanese drag queen, took the spotlight with her tumbling curls, dramatic lashes, and bright multicolored fashion set.
Exuding inclusivity, Anissa Krana highlights in the film what Christmas is really all about, as in the final scene she waved to her friends to celebrate right where they are after struggling to find a solution to get to their dinner on time.
While Mashrou Leila, Lebanon’s internationally recognized indie rock band’s electro-pop music played in the background, the short movie managed to convey the Lebanese spirit of togetherness and resilience in making the best out of bad situations.