International Documentary Film Festival
March 30 - April 6, 2025
Kaptol Boutique Cinema, Zagreb

We Are Inside

Farah Kassem

We Are Inside

After more than a decade, Farah returns home to Tripoli, Lebanon, to care for her aging widowed father, Mustapha, only to find her city in crisis. Their generational differences often lead to clashing perspectives on the country’s political instability, making it difficult to communicate with each other. Mustapha has a secret refuge: weekly all-male poetry club, where a small group of stubborn yet lovable men gather to share poems in classical Arabic over sweets and with an agreement to disagree about everything. In order to connect with her father, Farah decides to join the club and address Mustapha in verses to connect with the poet in him. As Mustapha’s health deteriorates and the October 2019 revolution erupts nationwide, poetry becomes their chance for one last conversation. 

Lebanon, Qatar, Denmark 2024, '180

DIRECTOR: Farah Kassem

SCENARIO: Farah Kassem

CAMERA: Tebbe Schöningh

MONTAGE: Anders Jepsen

MUSIC: Jon Sensmeier

PRODUCERS: Cynthia Choucair, Patricia Drati, Mehdi Bekkar

PRODUCTION: Road2Films, Good Company Pictures, Al Jazeera Documentary

FESTIVALS & AWARDS:

Visions du Réel: Special Mention (2024)
El Gouna FF: Golden Star & NETPAC Award (2024)
Golden Apricot IFF: Golden Apricot for Best Regional Film (2024)
Kasseler Dokfest: Honorary Mention (2024) 
Entrevue Belfort: Audience Award;  Tënk Award (2024)
Mar del Plata: Astor Piazzolla Award for Best Film (2024)
Laceno d’Oro: Audience Award “Franca Troisi” (2024)
IDFA (2024)
RIDM (2024)
DocPoint (2025)

Farah Kassem

Farah Kassem

Born in Tripoli, Lebanon, Farah Kassem graduated from ALBA University with a Bachelor’s degree in Audio Visual Studies and completed a Masters of Fine Arts in documentary film- making at DocNomads. Farah is both a director and an editor and is currently doing doctoral research in the Arts at KU Leuven and LUCA in Belgium. She is also a film workshop trainer. She has directed several award wining short documentary films that have screened at various international film festivals including Visions du Réel, Warsaw Film Festival, DOK Leipzig, Dubai International Film Festival, and many others. We Are Inside is her debut feature. 

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