Lina Saneh and Rabih Mroué | Lebanon


A political melodrama in black and white
An artist presents her new project to a Lebanese censor: she has adapted the film "A Special Day" by Ettore Scola into the form of a photo romance. In Scola's film the year is 1938, Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni encounter one another as two lonely figures, who have been pushed to the fringes of fascist society. In Lebanon the year is 2006, a former left-wing activist meets a divorced housewife. A discussion with the censor ensues: What does it mean when you set the story in a new context? Can the Lebanese army be mentioned? Where is the boundary between what can or cannot be shown? With their subtle and ironic play on the different levels of meaning, Lina Saneh and Rabih Mroué get under the skin of the prohibition of free-thought and alleged lack of political alternatives. Both artists have contributed to Theaterformen in the past and are considered to be the outstanding protagonists of the Lebanese theatre.

Concept, text and direction Lina Saneh, Rabih Mroué Set Samar Maakaroun Music Charbel Haber Photography Sarmad Louis Mroué With Rabih Mroué, Lina Saneh, Charbel Haber Realisation visual track Lina Saneh, Rabih Mroué, Sarmad Louis Assistant and production management Petra Serhal Costume Zeina Saab de Melero Make-up Stéphanie Aznarez Fotos with Rabih Mroué, Lina Saneh Special guest Mona Mroué In co-production with Festival d’Avignon, Théâtre de l’Agora Scène nationale d’Evry et de l’Essonne, Festival/Tokyo, Hebbel am Ufer / HAU Berlin, L’Etablissement public du Parc et de la Grande Halle de la Villette, Associazione Festival delle Colline Torinesi, Association Libanaise pour les Arts Plastiques, ASHKAL ALWAN Beirut
Supported by the Goethe Institut