The Sea Ahead

Last updated
The Sea Ahead
Directed by Ely Dagher
Written byEly Dagher
Produced byArnaud Dommerc
Starring
  • Manal Issa
  • Roger Azar
  • Yara Abi Haidar
  • Rabih Al Zaher
  • Joseph Sassine
  • Fadi Abi Samra
CinematographyShadi Chaaban
Edited by
Music byJoh Dagher
Production
companies
  • Andolfi
  • Abbout Productions
  • wrong men
  • Beachside
  • BeaverAndBeaver
Release date
Running time
116 minutes. [1]

The Sea Ahead is a 2021 Lebanese film directed and written by Ely Dagher. Starring Manal Issa, Roger Azar, Yara Abi Haidar, Rabih Al Zaher, Fadi Abi Samra and Joseph Sassine.

Contents

The film had its world premiere at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival [2] in July 2021.

Plot

After a long time gone, Jana, a young woman, suddenly returns to Beirut. She finds herself reconnecting with the familiar yet strange life she had once left. [3]

Cast

Production

The working title was "Harvest" before changing to "The sea ahead". [4] Writing of the film started in 2015 and Production at the beginning of 2020, all before the economic collapse of Lebanon. The film was in editing phase at the time of Beirut explosion [5] fall of 2020 the film Participated in the Venice film festival Final cut section for films in post production, and won best film. [6]

Release

The film premiered internationally during the 2021 Cannes Film Festival [7] in July 2021 part of the Directors' Fortnight [8] [9]

Reception

Following the world premiere at the Cannes 53rd Director's fortnight the film by Kaleem Aftab for Cineuropa was described as "taking us on a cinematic journey that echoes work by Michelangelo Antonioni and his view of depression". [10] Davide Abbatescianni, in his review for The New Arab, gave a positive review: "Loosely echoing Michelangelo Antonioni's artistic research on existential angst, The Sea Ahead is an enigmatic psychological drama, tackling timely themes and representing today's new 'lost generation' of millennials with great depth and sincerity." [11]

The film was eligible to receive the Caméra d'Or at Cannes. [12]

Related Research Articles

Cinema of Lebanon Filmmaking in Lebanon

The cinema of Lebanon, according to film critic and historian Roy Armes, is the only other cinema in the Arabic-speaking region, beside Egypt's, that could amount to a national cinema. Cinema in Lebanon has been in existence since the 1920s, and the country has produced more than 500 films.

Four Nights with Anna is a 2008 drama film directed by Jerzy Skolimowski. It stars Artur Steranko and Kinga Preis. It tells the story of a man who visits a woman in her sleep. The film had its world premiere as the opening film of the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival on 15 May 2008. It was released in Poland on 12 September 2008, and in France on 5 November 2008.

<i>Beirut Hotel</i> 2011 Lebanese film

Beirut Hotel the third long feature film by Lebanese director Danielle Arbid, is a 2011 Lebanese film. The film premiered during the 2011 Locarno International Film Festival.

Pablo Larraín Chilean filmmaker (born 1976)

Pablo Larraín Matte is a Chilean filmmaker. He has directed eight feature films and co-directed one television series, including the Academy Award-nominated films No (2012), Neruda (2016), Jackie (2016) and Spencer (2021). In 2017, Larraín and his brother Juan de Dios were the producers of Sebastián Lelio's A Fantastic Woman, which was the first Chilean film to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In 2021, he directed all eight episodes of the psychological romance horror miniseries Lisey's Story.

2015 Cannes Film Festival Film festival

The 68th Cannes Film Festival was held from 13 to 24 May 2015. Joel and Ethan Coen were the Presidents of the Jury for the main competition. It was the first time that two people chaired the jury. Since the Coen brothers each received a separate vote, they were joined by seven other jurors to form the customary nine-juror panel. French actor Lambert Wilson was the host for the opening and closing ceremonies.

The Lebanese Cinema Movie Guide Awards

The Lebanese Movie Awards known as The LMAs, is an award ceremony recognizing the best Lebanese & International cinematic achievements in the film making industry. The LMAs honors these films both in their artistic and technical aspects with categories including Best Lebanese Motion Picture, Best Directing, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, among others.

Ely Dagher

Ely Dagher is a Lebanese director, screenwriter and artist known for his short film Waves '98 and most recently his first feature film The Sea Ahead which had its premiere at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival

<i>Wolf and Sheep</i> (film) 2016 film

Wolf and Sheep is a 2016 Danish-Afghan drama film directed by Shahrbanoo Sadat. It was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival where it won the Art Cinema Award. It is the first installment in a planned pentalogy based on the unpublished diaries of Anwar Hashimi. Its sequel, The Orphanage, came out in 2019.

<i>Let the Sunshine In</i> (film) 2017 French film

Let the Sunshine In, or Bright Sunshine In, is a 2017 French romantic drama film directed by Claire Denis. The film is an adaptation of Roland Barthes's 1977 text A Lover's Discourse: Fragments. Novelist Christine Angot and frequent Denis collaborator Jean-Pol Fargeau have both been reported as Denis's co-writers on the project. It opened the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. At Cannes, it won the SACD Award.

<i>I Am Not a Witch</i> 2017 film

I Am Not a Witch is a 2017 internationally co-produced drama film written and directed by Rungano Nyoni in her feature debut film. It was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and won the BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer for Nyoni and producer Emily Morgan at the 71st British Academy Film Awards. It was selected as the British entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.

2018 Cannes Film Festival Film festival

The 71st annual Cannes Film Festival was held from 8 to 19 May 2018. Australian actress Cate Blanchett acted as President of the Jury. The Japanese film Shoplifters, directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, won the Palme d'Or.

<i>Zombi Child</i> 2019 film by Bertrand Bonello

Zombi Child is a 2019 French drama film directed by Bertrand Bonello. It is based on the account of the life of a supposed zombified man in Haiti, Clairvius Narcisse. It was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>Lillian</i> (film) 2019 film

Lillian is a 2019 Austrian drama film directed by Andreas Horvath. It was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Camera d'Or.

<i>Broken Keys</i> 2021 film

Broken Keys is a 2021 Lebanese drama film directed by Jimmy Keyrouz. It was selected as the Lebanese entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. The film was scheduled to premiered at the 2020 Cannes Film Festival, before the event was cancelled. The film premiered at the Jeonju International Film Festival in May 2021.

<i>Compartment No. 6</i> 2021 Finnish-Russian road drama

Compartment No. 6 is a 2021 internationally co-produced drama film co-written and directed by Juho Kuosmanen, starring Seidi Haarla and Yuri Borisov, based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Rosa Liksom.

One Fine Morning is a 2022 French-German drama film, written and directed by Mia Hansen-Løve. It stars Léa Seydoux, Melvil Poupaud, Pascal Greggory and Nicole Garcia. The film premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival in the Directors' Fortnight section on May 20, 2022. At Cannes, the film won the Europa Cinemas Label Award for Best European Film.

<i>A Chiara</i> 2021 film by Jonas Carpignano

A Chiara is a 2021 Italian-language drama film directed and written by Jonas Carpignano, the third film in his film trilogy set in a Calabrian town, following Mediterranea (2015) and A Ciambra (2017). The film stars Swamy Rotolo, Claudio Rotolo, Grecia Rotolo, and Carmela Fumo and had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on July 9, 2021, in the Directors' Fortnight section, to very positive reviews. Following its festival screening, the film was distributed by MK2 Films and Lucky Red in Italy and Neon in the United States.

Întregalde is a Romanian drama thriller film, directed by Radu Muntean and released in 2021. The film centres on a group of humanitarian aid workers in Romania who bring supplies to poverty-stricken areas in the Transylvania region, whose trip to the village of Întregalde is derailed after they pick up a disoriented old man who needs a ride.

Karsten Kiilerich is a Danish film and television director, screenwriter and animator. He is a co-founder of the Danish animation studio A. Film Production, for which he still actively works. Kiilerich has been involved in over 20 feature and short films.

<i>A Night of Knowing Nothing</i> 2021 documentary film

A Night of Knowing Nothing is a documentary film, directed by Payal Kapadia and released in 2021. An exploration of university student life in India, the film centres on letters written by L., a student at the Film and Television Institute of India, to her estranged boyfriend after they are separated when he is forced to quit film school and denied permission from his family to continue dating L. because she is not of the same caste.

References

  1. "THE SEA AHEAD". Directors' Fortnight .
  2. Staff, Screen (July 1, 2021). "Cannes 2021 line-up guide: Directors' Fortnight titles" . Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  3. "The Sea Ahead" . Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  4. Pedersen, Lise (September 8, 2020). "Short Film Palme d'Or Winner Ely Dagher Presents Feature Debut 'Harvest'" . Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  5. Akerman, Iain (July 2, 2021). "Lebanese director Ely Dagher's 'The Sea Ahead' set to premiere at Cannes" . Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  6. Vivarelli, Nick (September 9, 2020). "Lebanese Film 'Harvest' Wins Final Cut in Venice Workshop Prize" . Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  7. Staff, Screen (July 1, 2021). "Cannes 2021 line-up guide: Directors' Fortnight titles" . Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  8. Keslassy, By Elsa (June 8, 2021). "Cannes Directors' Fortnight Unveils 2021 Lineup – 'The Souvenir Part II,' 'Ali & Ava,' 'A Chiara,' 'Neptune Frost,' 'Futura' Among Selections" . Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  9. Sharf, By Zack (June 8, 2021). "Cannes Directors' Fortnight 2021 Lineup Includes Joanna Hogg's 'The Souvenir Part II' and More" . Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  10. Aftab, Kaleem (22 July 2021). "Review: The Sea Ahead". Cineuropa. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  11. Abbatescianni, DAvide (20 August 2021). "The Sea Ahead: An introspective portrait of millennial fear". The New Arab. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  12. Goodfellow, Melanie (30 June 2021). "Cannes unveils Caméra d'Or jury, confirms 31 eligible first features". Screen Daily. Retrieved 6 September 2021.