Lebanon has failed to address its long legacy of violence and has repeatedly made calls to “close the files” on any official recognition of past events. What remains clear is that this policy neglects long-standing tensions within Lebanese society and opts instead to forget the events of the past as if they have no bearing on the present and certainly no impact on the future. Through the What Is to Be Done? Lebanon’s War-Loaded Memory series of films, workshops, public events, and exhibits, UMAM D&R sought to revive an otherwise hidden record of the past in order to provide a basis from which to move forward.In the spirit of this endeavor, UMAM D&R launched the "Confronting Memories" film screenings. Introduced by a festival of three cinematic landmarks following the psychological effects of disappearance, "Confronting Memories" aimed to spark discussion of these issues that remain vital for Lebanon. The series ran until 2010 and featured local and international film screenings.
October 9-11, 2008 (Launch)"Missing" by Costa Gavras (1982, 117 min)"A Perfect Day" by Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige (2005, 88 min)"Beyrouth Fantome" by Ghassan Salhab (1999, 116 min)November 26, 2008"Le Liban dans la Tourmente" by Jocelyne Saab (1975, 75 min)January 28, 2009"So it will be only a Memory" by Sahar Assaf (2008, 20 min)"From War to Reconciliation" by Adyan (2008, 14 min)March 4, 2009"Ring of Fire" by Bahij Hojeij (2004, 90 min)March 31, 2009"Shatila - Passage to Palestine" by Yussuf Ali Naffa & Pepe Danquart (1998, 45 min)April 28, 2009"Kidnappés" by Bahij Hojeij (1998, 52 min) "Nos Lieux Interdits" by Laila Kilani (2008, 105 min)July 3, 2009"At Day Break" by Natalia Díaz (2008, 94 min)November 17, 2009"In Place" by Monika Borgmann & Lokman Slim (2009, 64 min)December 28, 2009"Gaza Hospital" by Marco Pasquini (2009, 84 min)March 11, 2010"Migration Alley" by Karim al-Hakim (2009, 32 min)April 2, 2010"Searching for Hassan" by Edouard Beau (2009, 63 min)April 27, 2010"In their Blood" by Katia Jarjoura (2009, 31 min)May 17, 2010"Open Shutters Iraq" by Maysoon Pachachi (2009, 102 min)September 18, 2010"Gaza Hospital" by Marco Pasquini (2009, 84 min)October 5, 2010"An Army of Ants" by Wissam Charaf (2007, 23 min) November 26, 2010"Chou Sar - What happened?" by De Gaulle Eid (2009, 75 min)December 10, 2010"12 Angry Lebanese" by Zeina Daccashe (2009, 80 min)"Confronting Memories" was made possible made possible thanks to funding from the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development (AECID) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.
