Behind Lebanon’s newest film

ENAR

"Ghadi”, the soon-to-be-released Lebanese movie, is not about the civil war, nor about sectarian tensions; it is about accepting someone who is different. A story with a fantasy twist, it’s a tale of tolerance and of hope; a timely message for the Lebanese in these challenging times. Local movies of its caliber are unfortunately rare, largely due to a lack of financial backers willing to bet on the country’s fragile movie industry. But Ghadi is a story that the producers were determined to bring to the screen with or without significant financial backing. An unlikely protagonist The film revolves around the eponymous Ghadi, a young boy with Down syndrome. The specifics of his disorder, also known as trisomy 21, are not as important to the plot as what they represent: difference. The movie is about “accepting people that are different” says Gabriel Chamoun, the film’s producer and CEO of Lebanon