The Lebanese collaborative feature film HOME BITTER HOME, an intimate exploration of artists navigating their personal struggles amid the multiple crises facing Beirut, will hold a special screening at the 47th edition of the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF).
 
Conceived, developed, and produced by Georges Hachem, HOME BITTER HOME brings together the perspectives of six filmmakers to tell the intertwined stories of five little-known artists in their late thirties. Their personal crises are inextricably linked to the multiple crises of today's Beirut, the city where they live and work, as they struggle to reconcile their artistic ambitions with the demands of everyday life.
 
Produced by Georges Hachem for STRAY BEE, HOME BITTER HOME is directed and written by Ghina Abboud, Naïm El Hajj, Aline Ouais, Salim Mrad, Jihad Saadé, and Marie-Rose Osta. The film stars Sara Fakhry, Hadi Deaibes, Adham Al Dimashki, Dana Dia, and Dhana Mkhayel.
 
The film's cinematography is by Jean Hatem, Elsy Hajjar, Jihad Saadé, and Jocelyne Abi Gebrayel. Editing is handled by Ghina Abboud, Georges Hachem, Naïm El Hajj, Sandra Fatte, Jihad Saadé, and Marie-Rose Osta, while sound design is by Raed Younan, Hadi Deaibes, François Yazbeck, John Paul Jalwan, and Victor Bresse.
 
MAD Distribution handles the film's distribution across the Arab world, while MAD World represents its international sales worldwide.
 

About the Filmmakers

Georges Hachem is a Lebanese director and producer, known for STRAY BULLET (2010), winner of Best Arab Film at the Dubai International Film Festival, and STILL BURNING (2016). His documentary WERE IT NOT FOR METRO (2022) won Best Arab Documentary at the Malmö Arab Film Festival.
 
Ghina Abboud is a Lebanese filmmaker and journalist. She directed several short films, including ROBERT! (2016) and MUSCA (2022). Her debut feature documentary UNTIL WE REST (2024), produced in collaboration with Al Jazeera Documentaries, won the Golden Moon at the Festival International des Jeunes Cinéastes in Montreuil, France.
 
Naïm El Hajj is a Lebanese director and visual artist, shortlisted for the Arte Laguna Prize in 2016. His essay film INEVITABLE NILS AND NOTHINGS IN BETWEEN (2024) won Best Experimental Film at the Madrid International Independent Film Festival.
 
Salim Mrad is a Beirut-born filmmaker and educator who studied cinema at Saint Joseph University in Beirut. His filmography includes documentary and experimental works, including LETTER TO MY SISTER (2008), TEA WITH ADONIS (2022), and the feature-length documentary AGATE MOUSSE (2021).
 
Aline Ouais is a Lebanese director and cinematographer. Her graduation film UNDER THE BED was selected for the Alexandria and Vienna film festivals. In 2019, her short film WISH WE COULD won Best Film at the Beirut 48-Hour Film Project.
 
Jihad Saadé is a Lebanese filmmaker and cinematographer. His graduation film ALL ABOUT HER won Best Student Film at the Barcelona International Film Festival. His recent works include NOT FAR FROM HERE (2023) and DIARIES FROM LEBANON (2024), which was selected for the Berlin International Film Festival.
 
Marie-Rose Osta is an independent Lebanese screenwriter and director. Her film THEN CAME DARK won the Special Jury Award at the 43rd Cairo International Film Festival and was screened in the VideoBrasil section of the 40th São Paulo Biennial. She is currently developing her debut feature film MINA and her series ECHOES, supported by the Doha Film Institute.