Phantom Beirut

(1998, DCP, 120m, Arabic w/ English Subtitles) dir Ghasan Salhab. Ghassan Salhab’s often overlooked debut feature depicts Lebanon at the end of the 1980s. The film follows Khalil, who, after faking his death ten years earlier, returns to Beirut under a new identity and confronts the old friends and comrades he left behind. A haunting exploration of official silences and collective amnesia in the country, Phantom Beirut portrays the impacts of conflict, return, and repair. 

This timely restoration will screen as part of our July focus on Lebanon, with screenings at Trylon and the Main Cinema. 

NOTES ON THE RESTORATION:
New 2K Restoration by Préludes in collaboration with Les films de l’Altaï funded by CNC. A Several Futures Release. Special thanks to Graham Carter.

In 2026, Mizna celebrates the twentieth edition of the Twin Cities Arab Film Festival. We mark this milestone with a year-long, multi-venue program, Looking Forward, Looking Back, which centers images from the history of SWANA filmmaking and our past festivals. Learn more at mizna.org.

7:00 $10