Waves '98 Explained

Waves '98
Director:Ely Dagher
Producer:Ely Dagher
Music:Matthew Wilcock
Animator:Ely Dagher
Laure Escafadals
Chadi Aoun
Runtime:15 minutes
Country:Lebanon
Qatar
Language:Arabic

Waves '98 is a 2015 animated, live-action short film written and directed by Lebanese artist and filmmaker Ely Dagher. It was awarded the Short Film Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.[1]

Plot

Omar is a high-school student living in the northern suburbs of Beirut in the late 1990s.[2] Disillusioned with his life in the suburbs of segregated Beirut, Omar's discovery lures him into the depths of the city. Immersed into a world that is so close yet so isolated from his reality that he eventually finds himself struggling to keep his attachments, his sense of home.[3] The film is a meditation on Dagher's relationship to Beirut, his hometown, since he has left it for Brussels.[4]

Awards

Reception

Waves '98 is the first Lebanese film in the official competition at the Cannes Film Festival since Maroun Baghdadi won the Jury Prize for Out of Life in 1991.[5] The film was shortlisted as one of 8 from a list of 4550 short film submissions. The film was awarded the Short Film Palme d'Or by Abderrahmane Sissako in a ceremony on May 24, 2015.[6]

Notes and References

  1. http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en/article/62012.html Festival De Cannes | AWARDS - Short Film Palme d’or
  2. Waves '98 | IMDB Plot Summary | https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4516050/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl
  3. The Arab Fund of Arts And Culture | Grantee News | http://www.arabculturefund.org/bulletin/article.php?genre=2&id=621#.VUXrA62qqko
  4. FIRST LOOK: Trailer for Ely Dagher’s Palme D’Or Nominated Lebanese Short Film Waves ’98 | 35mm From Beirut | http://35mmfrombeirut.com/relevant/waves98-trailer-ely-dagher-cannes-film-fesitval-palme-dor/
  5. Waves ’98: The Lebanese Short Film Nominated For A Palme D’Or At Cannes 2015 | http://stateofmind13.com/2015/04/28/waves-98-the-lebanese-short-film-nominated-for-a-palme-dor-at-cannes-2015/
  6. Waves ‘98: A Lebanese Short Movie Running For The “Palme d’Or” At Cannes Festival | BlogBaladi | http://blogbaladi.com/waves-98-a-lebanese-short-movie-running-for-the-palme-dor-at-cannes-festival/