French cinema reclaims the big screen in Lebanon

French film has had a home in Lebanon for generations, drawing audiences through shared language, but also through stories that cross borders easily. The bond has outlasted streaming, shrinking budgets and years of upheaval.

At the Institut français du Liban, that relationship is tended week after week. Cinéma Montaigne screens films for adults every Tuesday evening and for younger viewers on Wednesdays. Once every two years, the program transforms into Le Grand Week-end du cinéma français, now in its third edition after 2022 and 2024, runs from November 12 to 15.

Joseph Richard, Deputy Director of the French Institute of Lebanon, depicted the attachment as deeper than linguistics. “There’s a real connection between Lebanese audiences and French cinema. And it’s not just about language,” he told The Beiruter. “It’s also about the stories, the creativity and the cultural ties between our two countries.”

A mirror of society

This year’s lineup brings together seven French films that found large audiences at home but have not yet reached Lebanese screens. Two are premieres. Three are designed for families and children. The range stretches from historical drama to comedy, thriller to animation.

Richard explained that breadth is a reflection of the art form itself. “Contemporary cinema in France is, like in many other countries, a mirror of the society as a whole,” he observed. “It tells all kinds of stories, explores different issues and speaks to different audiences.”

The selection was guided by a wish to avoid narrowness. “The idea was essentially to offer a real variety of films, in various styles and for different audiences,” Richard explained, so that “everyone can find something they would enjoy, while discovering the latest French cinema.”

The opening night turns to history. The avant-première of La Bataille De Gaulle: l’âge de fer on November 12 brings Simon Abkarian, who plays the general, and producer Axelle Boucaï to Beirut. The film opens in Lebanese theaters on November 19.

For Abkarian, the trip is also a return. “Simon Abkarian has a very special connection with Lebanon, a country where he partly grew up in the Armenian community,” Richard pointed out. The subject adds another layer. “Having him with us is particularly meaningful, especially given General de Gaulle’s place in Lebanon’s history.”

Away from the screens, the weekend has a working side. Five French producers are meeting 17 Lebanese filmmakers, a format meant to turn their conversation into further collaboration. “We hope their exchanges will give birth to many exciting Franco-Lebanese movie projects,” Richard confided.

Film projects take years to mature, and he is already imagining the payoff. “Hopefully at the next Grand Week-end du cinéma français we will be talking about films that started taking shape during these meetings,” he anticipated.

The significance of such events is enormous in a fragile cultural landscape. “Events like this are important because they bring people together around culture, especially during difficult times,” Richard noted. They offer audiences “other movies they might not otherwise see,” while giving professionals a chance “to meet and exchange ideas.”

The long view runs through his thinking. He hopes the weekend will become “a key event on Lebanon’s cultural calendar” and a lasting channel for Lebanese-French cooperation, “a powerful way to strengthen the ties between our two countries, where culture has always played a central role.”

The medium was born in France more than a century ago and it endures. “Even with streaming platforms and all the new technologies, people still enjoy going to the cinema,” he noted. Cinema, he added, “remains certainly at the heart of our cultural industry.”

The explanation lies in the experience itself, one no home screen replicates. “There’s something special about watching a film on the big screen, together with others.”