Randa Chahal Sabbagh (Arabic: رندا شهال صباغ) was a Lebanese film director, producer and screenwriter. Chahal was born December 11, 1953 in Tripoli, Lebanon to an Iraqi mother and a Lebanese father.[1] She died of cancer August 25, 2008 in Paris, France (at age 54).[2]
(See below for individual film awards and nominations)
Career
Chahal began her career with documentary films but shifted to feature films by the 1990s, though she retained 'a documentary-maker's nose for contentious subject matter'.[2] She is reported to have said, "You discover in my films a common denominator. You notice that the camera only moves from right to left exactly like Arabic writing."[3]
Les Infidèles, a 1997 drama, is about the relationship between a French diplomat and a former Islamist who agrees to turn over the names of his colleagues if the French government will release an imprisoned friend.[4]
Civilisées (A Civilized People) released in 1999, is a black comedy about the Lebanese Civil War, which killed at least 100,000 people.[5] Sabbagh deployed a 'vaudevillian cast'[2] including foreign servants and philanthropists, visiting expatriates, militiamen and criminals – in a profane and dis-unified story mixing elements of absurdist plays. Some 40 minutes of the film was censored for its 'obscenity' and 'uncomplimentary representation of Lebanon during this particularly unsavory spell of its history'.[2][3] It was subsequently screened only once, at the Beirut International Film Festival.
Chahal became noted in 2003 with The Kite, which received the Silver Lion at the 2003 Venice Film Festival and won several prestigious prizes and international acclaim; the Grand Special Jury Prize, the Cinema for Peace Award and the Laterna Magica Prize.[citation needed] Set in a low-key South Lebanese village, the film is about love, life, death and the absurdity of the Israeli occupation, seen from the perspective of a Druze family separated following the division of their village into two with one half annexed to Israel. The story evolves around an arranged marriage between Lamia, a 16-year-old Lebanese Druze girl, (played by Flavia Bechara) and her IsraeliDruze cousin (played by Maher Bsaibes). The drama unfolds under the vigilant yet impotent Israeli-Lebanese border guards; one of whom is played by renowned Lebanese composer, actor and playwright Ziad Rahbani. The Kite is used 'as a metaphor for love and for life at the border', it explores, with depth and sometimes humor, 'the meaning of brides, of the hope they represent for divided families and, sometimes, for divided nations'.[6][7]
In 2005, Chahal started a new project with the distinguished Lebanese-AmericanHollywood film-producer Elie Samaha with the working title Too Bad for Them. The film was expected to combine comedy, music, dancing as well as politics, and North-South socio-economic disparities. However, the film was unreleased at the time of her death.[citation needed]
randa, chahal, sabag, randa, chahal, sabbagh, arabic, رندا, شهال, صباغ, lebanese, film, director, producer, screenwriter, chahal, born, december, 1953, tripoli, lebanon, iraqi, mother, lebanese, father, died, cancer, august, 2008, paris, france, contents, awar. Randa Chahal Sabbagh Arabic رندا شهال صباغ was a Lebanese film director producer and screenwriter Chahal was born December 11 1953 in Tripoli Lebanon to an Iraqi mother and a Lebanese father 1 She died of cancer August 25 2008 in Paris France at age 54 2 Contents 1 Awards 2 Career 3 Filmography 4 Notes 5 ReferencesAwards EditNational Order of the Cedar Officer national decoration Lebanon 2003 Nestor Almendros Prize New York City 2000 See below for individual film awards and nominations Career EditChahal began her career with documentary films but shifted to feature films by the 1990s though she retained a documentary maker s nose for contentious subject matter 2 She is reported to have said You discover in my films a common denominator You notice that the camera only moves from right to left exactly like Arabic writing 3 Chahal served as a jury member at the Venice 64th International Film Festival in the Opera Prima section Les Infideles a 1997 drama is about the relationship between a French diplomat and a former Islamist who agrees to turn over the names of his colleagues if the French government will release an imprisoned friend 4 Civilisees A Civilized People released in 1999 is a black comedy about the Lebanese Civil War which killed at least 100 000 people 5 Sabbagh deployed a vaudevillian cast 2 including foreign servants and philanthropists visiting expatriates militiamen and criminals in a profane and dis unified story mixing elements of absurdist plays Some 40 minutes of the film was censored for its obscenity and uncomplimentary representation of Lebanon during this particularly unsavory spell of its history 2 3 It was subsequently screened only once at the Beirut International Film Festival Chahal became noted in 2003 with The Kite which received the Silver Lion at the 2003 Venice Film Festival and won several prestigious prizes and international acclaim the Grand Special Jury Prize the Cinema for Peace Award and the Laterna Magica Prize citation needed Set in a low key South Lebanese village the film is about love life death and the absurdity of the Israeli occupation seen from the perspective of a Druze family separated following the division of their village into two with one half annexed to Israel The story evolves around an arranged marriage between Lamia a 16 year old Lebanese Druze girl played by Flavia Bechara and her Israeli Druze cousin played by Maher Bsaibes The drama unfolds under the vigilant yet impotent Israeli Lebanese border guards one of whom is played by renowned Lebanese composer actor and playwright Ziad Rahbani The Kite is used as a metaphor for love and for life at the border it explores with depth and sometimes humor the meaning of brides of the hope they represent for divided families and sometimes for divided nations 6 7 In 2005 Chahal started a new project with the distinguished Lebanese American Hollywood film producer Elie Samaha with the working title Too Bad for Them The film was expected to combine comedy music dancing as well as politics and North South socio economic disparities However the film was unreleased at the time of her death citation needed Filmography EditYear Title Notes2007 Too Bad for Them Forthcoming2002 Le Cerf Volant The Kite Feature 78 minutes Global Lens Global Film Initiative New York City 2008 Prix de la bande Sonore Bastia 2004 Prix de TV5 Belgium 2004 Silver Lion Grand Prize of the Jury Venice Film Festival 2003 Prix de la Lanterne Magique Venice Film Festival 2003 Prix de la paix Gillo Pontecorvo Venice Film Festival 2003 Prix international de la musique et du film Auxerre 20032000 Souha survivre a l enfer Documentary 56 minutes Selection Fipa 20011999 Civilisees A Civilized People Feature 97 minutes Nestor Almendros Prize New York City 2000 Official selection Venice Film Festival 19991997 Les Infideles The Infidels Drama 85 minutes Official selection Locarno 19971995 Nos Guerres Imprudentes Documentary 52 minutes Biennale Prize Institut du Monde Arabe Paris 1996 Official selection Locarno 1995 Rencontres Internationales Paris 19951991 Ecrans de Sable Screens of Sand Feature 90 minutes Official selection Venice Film Festival 1991 Director s Prize Valencia Music Prize la Baule1984 Cheikh Imam Documentary 52 minutes1980 Liban d Autrefois Lebanon Long Ago Fiction 12 minutes Jury Prize Carthage Film Festival1978 Pas a Pas Step by Step Documentary 80 minutes Prize Festival des Pays francophones de NamuNotes Edit THE KITE Le Cerf Volant Directed by Randa Chahal Sabbagh a b c d Award winning filmmaker Randa Chahal Sabbagh passes away in Paris by Jim Quilty The Daily Star newspaper Wednesday August 27 2008 a b Randa Chahal NOW Extra remembers the life and work of the great Lebanese filmmaker By Louisa Ajami NOW Staff September 1 2008 Randa Chahal Les infideles TV Movie 1997 IMDb retrieved 2021 05 25 Lebanese Filmmaker Randa Chahal Sabbagh by Mai Hoang World Press Review March 2004 issue VOL 51 No 3 Lebanese Filmmaker Randa Chahal Sabbagh Film Journal International 2004 A critique of The Syrian Bride Eran Riklis with a praise to The Kite by Maria Garcia Film Journal International Sept 2008References EditRanda Chahal Sabag at IMDb Randa Chahal Website about Randa Chahal Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Randa Chahal Sabag amp oldid 1078706089, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
