"TripoliScope, In Search of Tripoli's Cinema Culture" is "A Developing Essay Exhibition by UMAM D&R" curated by Nathalie Rosa Bucher that was prepared over the course of the summer of 2019, one year after UMAM D&R rescued the archive of the Société Commerciale Cinémathographique Tripoli Liban (SCCTL).

The exhibition was set up at the Warche 13 – Art and Civic Space, Al Mina, Tripoli and primarily consisted of documents and objects put together from the SCCTL collection. Arranged thematically, the displayed material touched on the company itself and the films it screened at the cinemas it managed, covering all genres popular in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, ranging from Arabic to Indian, European, Kung Fu, and even erotic, to name a few. Through company records, information could be gained about the distributors who sent the films to Tripoli, most of the time from Beirut, while financial records such as bank invoices provided a glimpse at the financial significance of the cinema industry.

In addition to the rescued documents that focus on the SCCTL, Nathalie Rosa Bucher acquired the right to display old images of Tripoli that are part of the Jean-Pierre and Yasmina Zahar collection and made available by the Arab Image Foundation. She also displayed posters, placards, and photographs from her own collection, in addition to objects made available by individuals in Mina.

Set to run for a period of 10 days, opening daily from 4 to 8pm and by appointment, TripoliScope was also going to host a range of events, including: two screenings – George Nasser's "Ila Ayn" and Rania Attieh and Daniel Garcia’s "Tayeb, Khallas, Yalla" – meant to be held at public venues, in cafes, near the Mina corniche; a storytelling night hosted in partnership with We Love Tripoli; and a guided walk and school visits. 
 
Given that the opening night was scheduled for October 18, 2019, a day after protests in Beirut kick-started the October 17 "thawra" (revolution), only a soft opening was arranged and a few subsequent visits based on personal requests to view the exhibition took place.

UMAM D&R was among the first cultural organizations and structures that responded to the extraordinary events unfolding on the streets all over Lebanon by embarking on an open strike in support of the uprising. In a joint statement issued by each supporting entity and sent out to its respective networks on October 25, 2019, the suspension of cultural activities was announced.

Since then, UMAM D&R's exhibition space, The Hangar, was closed and TripoliScope was brought back to Beirut in December 2019 and awaits an opportune time to return to Tripoli.

The exhibition is part of the Connecting the Dots initiative and was made possible thanks to funding from the Embassy of Switzerland in Lebanon.

"TripoliScope, In Search of Tripoli's Cinema Culture" is "A Developing Essay Exhibition by UMAM D&R" curated by Nathalie Rosa Bucher that was prepared over the course of the summer of 2019, one year after UMAM D&R rescued the archive of the Société Commerciale Cinémathographique Tripoli Liban (SCCTL).

The exhibition was set up at the Warche 13 – Art and Civic Space, Al Mina, Tripoli and primarily consisted of documents and objects put together from the SCCTL collection. Arranged thematically, the displayed material touched on the company itself and the films it screened at the cinemas it managed, covering all genres popular in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, ranging from Arabic to Indian, European, Kung Fu, and even erotic, to name a few. Through company records, information could be gained about the distributors who sent the films to Tripoli, most of the time from Beirut, while financial records such as bank invoices provided a glimpse at the financial significance of the cinema industry.

In addition to the rescued documents that focus on the SCCTL, Nathalie Rosa Bucher acquired the right to display old images of Tripoli that are part of the Jean-Pierre and Yasmina Zahar collection and made available by the Arab Image Foundation. She also displayed posters, placards, and photographs from her own collection, in addition to objects made available by individuals in Mina.

Set to run for a period of 10 days, opening daily from 4 to 8pm and by appointment, TripoliScope was also going to host a range of events, including: two screenings – George Nasser's "Ila Ayn" and Rania Attieh and Daniel Garcia’s "Tayeb, Khallas, Yalla" – meant to be held at public venues, in cafes, near the Mina corniche; a storytelling night hosted in partnership with We Love Tripoli; and a guided walk and school visits. 
 
Given that the opening night was scheduled for October 18, 2019, a day after protests in Beirut kick-started the October 17 "thawra" (revolution), only a soft opening was arranged and a few subsequent visits based on personal requests to view the exhibition took place.

UMAM D&R was among the first cultural organizations and structures that responded to the extraordinary events unfolding on the streets all over Lebanon by embarking on an open strike in support of the uprising. In a joint statement issued by each supporting entity and sent out to its respective networks on October 25, 2019, the suspension of cultural activities was announced.

Since then, UMAM D&R's exhibition space, The Hangar, was closed and TripoliScope was brought back to Beirut in December 2019 and awaits an opportune time to return to Tripoli.

The exhibition is part of the Connecting the Dots initiative and was made possible thanks to funding from the Embassy of Switzerland in Lebanon.