Soraya Umewaka Film director captures Lebanese art rising from ashes
Film director Soraya Umewaka’s new documentary spotlights 10 Lebanese artists whose works transcend the boundaries of religion and belief systems.
There are a total of 18 Islamic, Christian and other religious sects in Lebanon. A civil war rooted in religious and sectarian conflict lasted 15 years until 1990, leaving the country fractured.
In the film “Tomorrow We Will See” (Bukra Minshouf), Umewaka examines the work of artists in the Middle Eastern nation, where the scars of war are still visible. The title is a Lebanese expression with two different meanings: “Can’t tell the future” and “Tomorrow will be better.”
The film will be screened at a theater in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, on Friday.
Umewaka was born to a Japanese father who is a noh actor and a Lebanese mother who fled to Japan to escape the war. Growing up in Tokyo and Britain, she was exposed to a diversity of cultures, which taught her about different values.
Though the civil war has ended, Lebanon has remained politically unstable. Terrorist attacks frequently occur due to religious tensions.
In the documentary, a painter explains that two different colors can create a new color when mixed together, and likewise, people should intermingle to learn to think differently.
The painter’s words mirror Umewaka’s sentiments toward her other motherland.
“All that’s ever reported about Lebanon is death and destruction,” she said. “But I want people to see that it’s also a place brimming with creative potential.”Speech
Source: the-japan-news.com