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Panoptic

بانوبتيك

Panoptic (Banoptic)

Panoptic is a letter from a daughter to her deceased father in an attempt to reconcile with her country’s turbulent past.
Panoptic delves into Beirut’s underground to explore Lebanon’s schizophrenia: a nation that thrives for modernity while ironically ignoring the vices that obstruct achieving this modernity.
While the Lebanese population has chosen to turn a blind eye to these vices, Rana Eid, an ordinary citizen, explores the nation’s paradoxes through sound, iconic monuments and secret hidings.

In a rare case where the sound landscape of a film dictates the visual landscape, Panoptic is a depiction of the turbulent Lebanese past and the way society copes with trauma.

documentary, Rana Eid, Lebanon 2017, 69 min, Arabic with Engl. or French ST
Director Rana Eid | Written by Rana Eid in collaboration with Rania Stephan | Producor Myriam Sassine | Co-producer/ Line Producer Abla Khoury | Editor Rania Stephan | Director of Photography Talal Khoury | Sound Designer Rana Eid | Re-recording Mixer Florent Lavallée | Music Composer Nadim Mishlawi | Colorist Belal Hibri | Production Manager Elie Deek | Design and Art Direction Mike Malajalian | Produced by Abbout Productions & DB Studios Beirut In co-production with Ginger Beirut Productions, with the support of The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC), in association with Screen Institute Beirut Co-produced with the support of Enjaaz, a Dubai Film Market Initiative

from the press
A new take on the genre of city symphony/documentary essay, Eid’s film offers a complex and poetic inquiry into Beirut’s underground and the roots of conflict in her country. (Variety)
Panoptic is a visual work, but Eid’s ability to play these images against experimental soundscapes results in a harrowing, affecting and captivating debut. (4:3 - Four Three Film)


screenings/awards | film-maker Rana Eid | interview with the director | texte en français | texto en español

buy the DVD | view online at sooner (in Europe) | at istikana (in Arab countries)

To acquire the rights for classroom screenings or libraries, please place your request here.



Press Kit

Panoptic_engl.pdf