Synopsis for the Film
Film: Oil Spill in Lebanon
Country: Lebanon/Italy
Director: Hady Zaccak
Duration: 35 min
Category: Murky Waters
The only available document that archives a major environmental catastrophe with far reaching and now after two whole years, still persisting effects, the acclaimed and award-winning Oil Spill in Lebanon chronicles the tensions that shook not only Lebanon but the entire Mediterranean when Israel bombed the Jiyyeh power plant on the 13th and 15th of July 2006. As continuous bombardment prevented immediate solutions, the country woke up the next day to major ‘collateral damage’: 15,000 tons of heavy fuel that blackened the beaches, several historical monuments and fragile ecological reserves like Palm Island- home to rare birds, flora and aquatic life. The movie examines how a country shell-shocked by war tries to come together to salvage the Mediterranean. Even after the cessation of hostilities, the war is far from over but hope persists- The Mediterranean and its people remain resilient.
Distinctions
Best Film at SEA&TV - European and Mediterranean Festival on Sea Television, Italy 2007
More Details
Hady Zaccak was born on the 22nd of March 1974 in Beirut and has studied at IESAV film school (Institut d’Etudes Scéniques, Audiovisuelles et Cinématographiques/ Saint-Joseph University/Beirut). He has a diploma in audiovisual studies (1997) and a Maîtrise in cinema studies/ option film directing (2001). Between 1995 and 1996, he wrote a book about the global history of Lebanese Cinema. This book was published in French in 1997 under the title: Le cinéma libanais: itinéraire d’un cinéma vers l’inconnu (1929-1996), (Dar-el-Machreq -Beirut).He wrote and directed more than 20 short films and documentaries since 1997.
