Philippe Aractingi

Philippe Aractingi: Author, director, producer and photographer Who is Philippe? Philippe Aractingi is a renowned artist in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Although he was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1964, Philippe is Franco-Lebanese. Achievements: In the late 70's and early 80's and with no available audio-visual programs in a war-ridden country, Philippe taught himself the art of filmmaking. Two of his films "Bosta" and "Under The Bombs" were the only Lebanese entries in the 2006 and 2008 Oscar ceremonies, respectively. His other releases have been praised and awarded over 40 times at various international festivals, in Venice, Dubai, Thessaloniki, Rotterdam, and at the Sundance Film festival, among other key events in the industry. Passionate about the arts and dedicated to defending the Lebanese Film Industry, Philippe is also the co-founder of the Lebanese Cinema Foundation (FLC) and the vice-chairman of the Beirut Screen Institute committee. In 2018, Aractingi was appointed Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture. How it all started... Born in a war-ridden country, Aractingi was raised in Beirut. At the early age of 8, his father gifted him his first camera. Seeing as he lived right on the demarcation line, at the heart of the gut-wrenching action, he put his photography skills to the test and started capturing scenes through his lens that went on to be published in various international magazines and news publications around the world. Around that time, film was not yet a discipline taught in schools. So naturally, Philippe didn't let that stop him and decided to teach himself. At the age of 20 he goes out to film his first war documentary, in his very own hometown, Beirut. Recognizing his knack for the audiovisual world, he moved to Paris in 1989 where he continued writing, directing and occasionally producing over 40 documentaries and short films in the following years. He shot most of his works in various countries such as France, Morocco, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Egypt and Mongolia, among many more of the world's most captivating locations. Documentaries (1984-2005): At the age of 25, Aractingi leaves for Paris. He dedicated the following 12 years of his career to directing, producing and co-producing over 40 short-films and documentaries, including "Vol Libre au Liban" in 1991 that won the Best Short Film Award at the Saint-Hilary Film Festival; "Par le Regard des Meres" in 1992 that competed in the Lyon Film Festival and "Beyrouth de Pierre et de Mémoires in 1992 that won the gold medal of the games of La Francophonie. In 1995, he also released "Le Rêve de l'Enfant Acrobat" and it won the Grand Jury Prize at the Beirut Film Festival. Films (2005-2019) In 2005, Philippe Aractingi released his first feature film "Bosta". The movie was critically acclaimed and broke audience records in Lebanon with more than 140,000 box office admissions. 100% Produced and financed by Lebanese contributors, this playful and realistic musical breaks the traditional depiction of war in movies. "Bosta" also went on to reconcile the Lebanese public with the cinema and opened the door to a new generation of Lebanese films. The movie received 8 awards including Best Screenplay at the Carthage Film Festival (JCC), the Golden Murex in Beirut in 2006, and the Best First Work Award at the Arab Film Festival in Rotterdam. In 2006, when another war broke out in Lebanon, Philippe Aractingi was driven to relate the story through the eyes of two fictional characters, filmed at the very heart of the drama. That's when he filmed "Under the Bombs", which was later released in 2008. The story accompanies two professional actors throughout the turmoil and they later come face to face with real players who partook in the 2006 Lebanese-Israeli war. "Under The Bombs" was distributed in 30 countries and was nominated at the Venice, BAFTA, Dubai and at the Sundance Film Festival. It also won 23 awards, including the Best Actress Award and the Golden Muhr at the International Film Festival. The Audience Award at the Dubai Film Festival (DIFF); the Best Music and the Jury's Choice at the Luchon Festival in 2008, the Netpac and Critic's Awards in Antalya in 2007 and the Fipresci Prize at the Bratislava International Film Festival. In 2014, Philippe Aractingi went on a limb and decided to write and produce an autobiography, "Heritages". This autobiography was a revamped documentary with a hint of fiction that helped Aractingi tell his story. It recounted the various exiles that he and his family had to go through over the past 4 generations, summing up to 100 years of history. The movie was nominated at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, and the International Festival of Audiovisual Programs (FIPA), the film is used as a subject of study in more than 30 schools and universities around the world including Boston University. In 2017, Philippe released "Listen". The movie was about a modern-day love story that defied the well-defined social norms. The story is focused on the senses, how they are linked to one's sensuality and how they trigger one's feelings. When it aired for the first time at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), "Listen" moved and shocked audiences. The authorities prohibited its distribution in the rest of the Arab world but the film still went on to win the Best Sound, Best Picture and Best Director awards at the Lebanese Movie Awards (LMA) and represented Lebanon at the Golden Globes in 2017. Production House: In 1989, Aractingi founded his own production company, Fantascope, which allowed him to direct his feature films in a country where cinema was virtually non-existent. Fantascope Production has produced to date more than a hundred films broadcasted on international TV channels such as the Discovery Channel, France 2, France 3 or Arte. Aractingi also produces many films on commission, notably for museums, among which are the movies about the American University of Beirut's 150th Anniversary, the museum of the Central Bank of Lebanon and the in-flight safety regulations instructions for Lebanon's Middle East Airlines (MEA). In 2019, he also directed "Sur les pas du Christ" ("On The Footsteps of Christ"), a film co-produced with the Maronite Foundation. The movie retraces the journey of Christ in Southern Lebanon. Photography and Videography: From the early age of 8, Philippe Aractingi gets behind the camera. When the war broke out, he went out on the streets to capture the scenes. Horrified by what he saw, Philippe decided to stop taking pictures for quite some time. In 2010, he finally decided to get back behind the camera and develop a series for an exhibit in Paris. The exhibit "Nuit sur Beyrouth" displayed a wide array of shots of Beirut by night. Some of the shots also showed a patchwork of colour where the city could be seen, fully lit up on one side but on the other side, it was overcome by darkness due to its infamously frequent power cuts. His second exhibit "Obsession" took place in Beirut in 2018 and depicted the city's evolution over time. On one hand, you can clearly see the peaceful care-free days before the war but on the other hand, you can also see how the city was ravaged and disfigured by the war and how today, it's almost unrecognizable and lies bare for all to see. The exhibition was accompanied by an installation called "Beirut Through Time". The installation was a setup of three screens that each broadcast a picture of the same places and the evolution of these spaces over the past 100 years. Writing Métier de femme, métier de mère: Book was co-written with Lela Chikhani-Nacouz, an essay that tells the strength and suffering of Lebanese mothers put in pictures in 1992 Through Mother's Eyes Nabil le petit étranger (Script) Price Maroun Baghdadi of the Best Script at the International Beirut Festival, 1998 Lauréat de la Bourse Beaumarchais, 1995 Scriptwriting contribution by « la commission de l'avance sur recette du CNC », 1996 Awards and Recognition: Par le Regard des Mères, 1992 (Documentary 52') Official selection at the Festival du Film de Nyons Beyrouth the Pierre et de Mémoire, 1992 (Essay-18') Gold medal at the « jeux de la Francophonie » - Paris, 1994 Jury recognition at « Journées du Cinéma Africain et Créole » - Montréal, 1995 Vol Libre au Liban, 1993 (Short film 18') Jury price at the "festival international de Saint-Hilaire", 1991 Lauréat de l'Académie Carat, 1992 Le Rêve de l'Enfant Acrobate, 1995 (Maroc, Documentary 52') Grand Jury price at the Beirut Film Festival, 1997 Listen (2017) Nominations: DIFF - Dubai International Film Festival LFF - Lebanese Film Festival Australia AFF - Arab film festival in Minnesota AFF - Arab film festival in Germany (Tubingen) Awards: Lebanese Movie Awards (LMA) - best sound, best cinematography, best director Alexandria Official Critic Award (Egypt) Heritages (Mirath) (2014) Nominations: DIFF 2013, FIPA and Thessaloniki Festivals Awards: The Silver HAMBRA award: Granada Cines del Sur Film Festival The Audience Award: Arab Film Festival - San Francisco Best Director and Best Editing in the Lebanese Movie Guide Awards 2015 Under the Bombs (2007/8) 23 prizes, amongst which are: The Golden Muhr Award and the Best Film and Best Actress Award at the Festival of Dubai (2007) EIUC Human Rights Film Award at the Venice Film Festival (2007) Critics Award and NETPAC Award Festival in Antalya (2007) Sundance FF 2008 FIPRESCI International Critics Award Festival Bratislava (2008) Best feature film in the One World Media Award in London (2009) Bosta (2005/6) Awards: Best Scenario Award at Carthage Festival in 2002 Murex D'Or in Lebanon Best First Work Award at the Arab Film Festival Rotterdam IMA Award for First Feature Film Audience Award at the Queens International Festival Young Audience Award at Artemare Festival of Corsica.