MARTYR

For Hassane, a young man from an impoverished neighborhood, life has stopped making sense. All he has left is a close group of friends, brought together by a shared sense of marginalization and hopelessness.
Hassane’s strange sudden drowning at Beirut’s rocky shore sparks a mob procession, and strips apart the bond of youth and friendship, forcing his friends to grapple with loss and powerlessness, and with the cold heavy truth of their friend’s dead body. The funeral is transformed into a heartfelt farewell to the beauty and sensuality of life, youth, friendship, and love.

Arabic title شهيد
Directed by Mazen Khaled
Screenplay Mazen Khaled
Cast Carol Abboud Hamza Mekdad Moustafa Fahs Hadi Bou Ayash Rashad Nasreddine
Music Zeid Hamdan Vladimir Kurumilian
Cinematography Rachelle Noja & Talal Khoury
Editing Vartan Avakian
Production Companies Khamsin Films Post Office Films
Venice International Film Festival — Biennale College-Cinema
2017 | World Premiere
Nomination: Queer Lion Award — Mazen Khaled
Rome MedFilm Festival
2017
Belgrade International Film Festival (FEST)
2018
South by Southwest (SXSW)
2018 | Global
BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival
2018
Subversive Film Festival
2018
Sicilia Queer Film Festival
2018
Guanajuato International Film Festival
2018
Lebanese Film Festival — Sydney
2018
Omladinski Film Festival Sarajevo
2018
Queer Lisboa — International Queer Film Festival
2018
Jury Prize — Queer Art Competition
Arab Film Festival — San Francisco
2018
Alexandria Mediterranean Film Festival
2018
Mahmoud Abdel Aziz Award for Artistic Achievement — Mazen Khaled
Best Supporting Actress — Carol Abboud
AFLAM — Rencontres Internationales de Cinéma de Marseille
2019
Lebanese Movie Awards
2019
Nomination: Best Lebanese Motion Picture
Nomination: Best Writing — Mazen Khaled
Nomination: Best Editing — Vartan Avakian
Soura Film Festival — Berlin
2019 | Opening Night Film

KILOMETER ZERO

BRAVO VIRTUOSO