Dancing on the Edge
of a Volcano
Directed by Cyril Aris
Lebanon Germany 2023
Arabic, French, English - 87 min
على حافة البركان
On August 4th, 2020, the catastrophic explosion at the port of Beirut leaves a large part of the Lebanese capital in ruins. In the midst of the chaos, a troubled film crew faces an overwhelming decision: to continue the production of their movie or abandon it? As they face the aftermath of the catastrophe, they are torn between their firm belief in the transformative power of cinema and a deep sense of cynicism about its ability to effect change in a nation plagued by economic turmoil and societal collapse. Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano chronicles their struggles and highlights the crew's resilience as they strive to find meaning and purpose in their work amidst the devastation.
PREMIERE KARLOVY VARY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2023
“Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano compellingly tells the story of filmmaking by fire.”
The Hollywood Reporter
DIRECTOR
Cyril Aris
SCRIPTWRITER
Cyril Aris
PRODUCERS
Myriam Sassine, Katharina Maria Weser
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Cyril Aris, Joe Saade
MUSIC
Anthony Sahyoun
EDITING
Cyril Aris, Nadia Ben Rachid
MAIN CAST
Nadine Labaki, Saleh Bakri, Mounia Akl, Nadia Charbel, Abla Khoury, Geana & Seana Restom, Joe Saade, Myriam Sassine, Georges Schoucair
PRODUCED BY
Abbout Productions (Myriam Sassine), Lebanon, Reynard Films (Katharina Weser), Germany
IN CO-PRODUCTION WITH
Fox in the Snow Films (Olivier Guerpillon), Sweden, Snowglobe (Katrin Pors), Denmark, Cinema Defacto (Sophie Erbs), France, Barentsfilm (Ingrid Høgtun), Norway, Lastor Media (Sergi Moreno), Spain
WITH SUPPORT FROM
Sundance Institute Grant (USA), Bosch Film Prize Grant (Berlin), Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen (Germany), SLM (Germany)
WORLD SALES
Salaud Morisset
PREMIERE
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2023
AWARDS
Special Jury Mention at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Czech Republic, 2023
Audience Award at the Mostra de Valencia, Spain, 2023
Best Film Award at the MedFilm Festival, Italy 2023
Special Jury Mention at the Cinemed Film Festival, France, 2023
