EARLY BIRD: November 15, 2024

2021 Nominees

Story to Follow: Beirut, August 4th

Al Jazeera Media Network

LEBANON, QATAR

- Short Non-Fiction Program

"I am a refugee in my country," said Sonia, a Beirut lady whom the film crew interviewed as she stood on the rubble of her home. The Beirut Port explosion, which occurred on August 4, 2020 shook the Lebanese capital. It killed nearly 200 people, wounded thousands, and left about 300,000 people homeless. A few days after the explosion, the Story to Follow, in cooperation with a crew in Lebanon, followed the stories of people who lived through this tragic event. The camera moved amid the destruction caused by the explosion and among the houses that had collapsed over their inhabitants, conveying the details of the first days and the trauma that the Lebanese lived. The Lebanese inspect the extent of their losses, for the mornings that followed the explosion were difficult and painful. Some lost loved ones; some lost their homes; others lost their personal articles and memories, left with only their stories that the film tried to convey.