Philippe Aractingi

Philippe Aractingi (فيليب عرقتنجي) is a Lebanese author, director, producer, actor and photographer. Aractingi is Franco-Lebanese.

Self-taught, he has directed more than 70 documentaries in various formats and lengths, and 4 feature films, which have been widely distributed worldwide. He has gained widespread recognition as a film director in the EMEA region.

Achievements
Two of his films, “Bosta” and “Under the Bombs” were the only Lebanese entries in the 2006 and 2009 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 events in the film industry.

With his passion for the arts and dedication to defending the Lebanese Film Industry, Aractingi 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.

Early life
Philippe Aractingi was born in Beirut, Lebanon. At the age of 8, his father gave him his first camera. From the age of 16, living on the demarcation line in the midst of the Lebanese war, he captured photographs of the war, that went on to be published in various international news publications.

Around that time, film was not yet a discipline taught in schools. However, Aractingi was not discouraged by this and decided to teach himself, despite the lack of audiovisual programs availabilities in a war-ridden country. At the age of 20, he filmed his first broadcast documentary, in his hometown, Beirut.

Documentaries
Recognizing his interest in the audiovisual world, Philippe moved to Paris in 1989, at the age of 25. There, he dedicated the following 12 years of his career to writing, directing, and occasionally producing and co-producing over 50 documentaries and short films, for renowned international TV channels such as The Discovery Channel, France Télé, Arte, NDR, Sky. He shot most of his works in various countries such as Egypt, France, Mongolia, Morocco, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Tunisia, among other locations.

Amongst his most notable documentaries are “Vol Libre au Liban” in 1991, that won the Best Short Film Award at the Saint-Hilary Film Festival; “Par le Regard des Mères” in 1992 that competed in the “Vision du reel”, Nyon Film Festival and “Beyrouth de Pierre et de Mémoire in 1992, that won the gold medal of Jeux de la Francophonie. In 1995, he also released “Le Rêve de l’Enfant Acrobate” which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Beirut Film Festival.

Feature films
In 2005, after returning to Lebanon, Philippe Aractingi produced and directed his first feature film “Bosta”, a groundbreaking post-war Lebanese musical. The film 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 broke the traditional depiction of war in films and went on to reconcile the Lebanese public with the cinema, opening the door to a new generation of Lebanese films.

The film received eight 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 felt compelled to bear witness and filmed his second movie, "Under the Bombs", which accompanies two professional actors throughout the turmoil, to later come face to face with real players who partook in the 2006 Lebanese-Israeli war. The film narrates the tale of a woman's relentless quest to locate her sister and son amidst the war-torn landscape.

Released in 2008, “Under The Bombs” was distributed in 30 countries and selected in over 40 festivals, including Venice, BAFTA, Dubai and the Sundance Film Festival. It won 23 awards worldwide, 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.

Under the Bombs and Bosta were both selected to represent Lebanon at the Oscars in 2006 and 2009 respectively.

In 2014, Philippe Aractingi ventured into autobiography with “Heritages”, a revamped documentary with a hint of fiction that recounts the various exiles that he and his family had to go through over the past 4 generations, summing up to 100 years of history. Experimenting with a radical new film-making style, he interlaces directed scenes and archive images with video-filmed personal diaries, family photos and super 8 reels.

The film was nominated at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, and the FIPA, International Festival of Audio Visual Programs. It is currently a case study in more than 30 schools and universities around the world, including Boston University.

In 2017, Aractingi released “Listen”, a modern-day love story that defied the well-defined social norms. “Listen” tells the story of a sound engineer who meets and falls in love with a strong and free-spirited girl, who suddenly slips away in a coma. This story deals with the emancipation of women in the Middle East nowadays, and is as well a journey through sound and the importance of hearing.

When it aired for the first time at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), "Listen" moved and shocked audiences. PG 18 in Lebanon, the authorities prohibited its distribution in the rest of the Arab world, but the film still went on to win 8 international prizes, including the Best Sound, Best Picture and Best Director awards at the Lebanese Movie Awards (LMA), and represented Lebanon at the Golden Globes in 2017.

In 2018-19, Philippe returned to documentary filmmaking with "On the Footsteps of Christ", co-produced with the Maronite Foundation, a journey between fiction and documentary that retraces the journey of Jesus Christ in southern Lebanon.

In 2019, he released "Thawra Soul", a short movie documenting the lebanese revolution, "Thawra", which first began in October 2019.

In 2023-24, he directed a documentary for Gedeon Programmes entitled "Liban, Les secrets du royaume de Byblos".

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 almost non-existent.

To date, Fantascope Production has produced more than a hundred films broadcast on international TV channels such as the Discovery Channel, France 2, France 3, Arte, NDR, and BSkyB.

Additionally, Fantascope Production has produced a series of corporate films.

Theater
In 2023, Philippe made his foray into the world of theater with his debut production, "Sar Waet El Haki" (Let's talk, it's about time), written and performed by himself and directed by [https://soas.lau.edu.lb/about/people/lina-abyad.php#:~:text=Lina%20Abyad%20is%20an%20associate,in%20Beirut%20and%20the%20region. Lina Abyad].

In this autobiographical solo-show, Philippe Aractingi loses himself in thought for a moment, meditating on the path that has led him to make so many films, he who, in his youth, had difficulties to speak.

Intense quest of expression, this groundbreaking play seamlessly weaves together projected films on fragmented screens, audio narratives, music, and occasional dance to delve into the profound themes of language and identity.


 * Ici Beyrouth : "Sar Wa’at el-Haki" au théâtre Monnot

Photography and videography
From the age of 8, Philippe Aractingi got behind the camera. When the war broke out, he went out in the streets to capture the scenes. Horrified by what he saw, Aractingi decided to stop taking pictures for quite some time.

In 2010, he finally decided to get back behind the camera and developed a series for an exhibition in Paris, “Nuit sur Beyrouth”, displaying a wide array of shots of Beirut by night. Some of the shots also showed a patchwork of color where the city could be seen, fully lit up on one side but overcome by darkness on the other side, due to its infamously frequent power cuts.

His second exhibit, “Obsessions”, 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 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”, a setup of three screens showing the city of Beirut from three different perspectives : each displaying video footages of the same places at different times and stages : life, death and afterlife – before, during and after the civil war. L’Orient-Le Jour : Philippe Aractingi et l’insoutenable fragilité de Beyrouth

In 2022, Philippe took part in a collective exhibition, "Hunna", celebrating women through Art. Aractingi roamed the streets of Dubai, Paris, Cannes and Beirut, armed with a disposable camera, to capture snapshots of women's legs, unknown, fleeting beauties.

https://icibeyrouth.com/culture/45026

Filmography

 * Bosta (2005)
 * Under The Bombs (2008)
 * Heritages (Documentary) (2013)
 * Listen (2018)

Others (documentaries)

 * Le Rêve de l’Enfant Acrobate, 1995 (Morroco, 52’)
 * Beyrouth de Pierre et de Mémoire, 1992 (Essai, 18’)
 * Vol Libre au Liban, 1993 (Short Film, 18’)
 * Through Mother’s eyes, 1992 (52’)
 * Thawra Soul, 2019
 * Portrait of Ghassan Tuéni (Une terre pour un homme), 2012, 42’
 * Film about the White Oryx, for Discovery Channel, Saudi Arabia
 * Film about archeology, Sri Lanka
 * Liban, Les secrets du royaume de Byblos, Documentary, for ARTE, 2024 – currently in post-production

Writings

 * Métier de femme, métier de mère : Book 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 (screenplay) : Prize 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
 * Forgiveness (movie screenplay, in progress)
 * London Halal (movie screenplay, in progress)
 * The Rock of Tanios (movie screenplay, in progress)
 * The Tale of Reem (movie screenplay, in progress)
 * Bekaa (series screenplay, in progress)

Par le Regard des Mères, 1992 (Documentary 52’)

 * Official selection at the Festival du Film de Nyon

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" – Montreal, 1995

Vol Libre au Liban, 1993 (Short film 18’)

 * Jury prize at the “festival international de Saint-Hilaire”, 1991
 * Lauréat de l’Académie Carat, 1992

Le Rêve de l’Enfant Acrobate, 1995 (Morroco, Documentary 52’)

 * Grand Jury prize at the Beirut Film Festival, 1997

Bosta (2005/6)

 * 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.

Under the Bombs (2007/8)
Official selection at Sundance Film Festival 2008

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 at the Antalya Festival (2007)
 * FIPRESCI International Critics Award, Festival Bratislava (2008)
 * Best Actress, Special Mention, Prize of the FIPRESCI, at Bratislava International Film Festival
 * Best feature film in the One World Media Award in London (2009)
 * Arca Cinema Giovanni Award, Venice Film Festival 2007
 * Junior Jury Prize, Festival du Film Francophone de Namur 2007
 * Best film (Golden Pony Award), Dubai International Film Festival 2007
 * Best Actress Award, Dubai International Film Festival 2007
 * Best Original Score, Luchon Film Festival 2008
 * Audience Award, Luchon Film Festival 2008
 * Coup de coeur du jury, Luchon Film Festival 2008
 * Amnesty International Award, Opendoek Festival in Trunhout, 2008
 * Audience Award, Festival du Film des Droits à la Personne, Montreal 2008
 * Human Rights Award, Bahrain Film Festival 2008
 * Best Actress Award, Oran Arab Film Festival 2008
 * Best Actor Award, Rotterdam Arab Film Festival 2008
 * Silver Medal for Best Film, Rotterdam Arab Film Festival 2008
 * Best International Feature Film, 22nd Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie (Canada).

Heritages (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

Listen (2017)
Nominations :

Awards :
 * DIFF – Dubai International Film Festival
 * LFF – Lebanese Film Festival Australia
 * AFF – Arab film festival in Minnesota
 * AFF – Arab film festival in GERMANY (Tubingen)


 * LEBANESE MOVIE AWARDS (LMA) – best sound, best cinematography, best film, best script (selon le dossier de présentation de tes films)
 * WINNER film critic award Alexandria Mediterranean Film Festival

Thawra Soul (2021)

 * Ici Beyrouth: https://icibeyrouth.com/culture/15717 ""Thawra Soul" de Philippe Aractingi: onze minutes et… l’éternité?"
 * Télérama: https://www.telerama.fr/cinema/films/thawra-soul,n6980127.php

Bosta (2006)

 * Guardian Unlimited, UK, FEV 2006 "It’s a fast-paced, colourful movie that captures both the beauty and the problems of this country."
 * The Washington Post, USA, MARCH 2006 "It was a breath of fresh air. It did not deal with the war in a blunt way, but indirectly. For once, the healing process that Lebanese society is supposed to go through is the focus."

Under the Bombs (2008)

 * The Telegraph: Philippe Aractingi: 'I wanted to present war differently'
 * The Daily Telegraph "In a cinematic season of war, with a batch of heavyweight Hollywood films dealing with events in the Middle East, none was made under more treacherous, life-threatening conditions than Under the Bombs." David Gritten (UK / daily)
 * Variety (magazine) "The docu-fiction road movie "Under the Bombs" plays like a cri de coeur. Shot during the fighting, apparently without a script, these improvised scenes score with their emotional authenticity." Alissa Simon
 * Variety (magazine) "Aractingi's pic, partly shot during last year's hostilities, received a lengthy standing ovation following its Lido bow." Ali Jafaar
 * Il Messaggero "Under the bombs has the merit to tell the facts without trading on them and adding something to our perceptive horizon." Francesco Alo’ (Italy / daily)
 * Il Manifesto "Sous les bombes is one of the best film in Venice Days. Maybe the reference could be Germania anno zero (Germany year zero) by Roberto Rossellini. Classifying it as a fiction – or a documentary – is a limit: its substance is in the truth he tells and, at the same time, in the act of destabilizing its representation. An emotional film, without rhetoric." Cristina Piccino (Italy / daily)
 * Il Sole 24 Ore "A bombproof location !" Cristina Battocletti (Italy/daily)

Héritages (2013)

 * L'Orient-Le Jour: « Héritages » de Philippe Aractingi, ou l’histoire en marche
 * Cannes 2013: Philippe Aractingi | Director | Cannes 2013
 * Josyane Boulos, "Mon quotidien dans un chaos organisé": Mon quotidien dans un chaos organisé, Beyrouth.
 * An Nahar: فيلم - ميراث فيليب عرقتنجي: وطن في سيرة
 * Film Review: ‘Heritages’

Listen (2017)

 * Agenda Culturel : ’Listen’ de Philippe Aractingi... écoutez la vie battre…
 * "اسمعي" قصة حب بالصوت جسدها فيليب عرقتنجي بمشاهد جريئة
 * Le film "Listen" de Philippe Aractingi – Par Bernard Jabre

Let's talk, it's about time (Theater play)

 * Ici Beyrouth : "Sar Wa’at el-Haki" au théâtre Monnot
 * Podcast Afikra : « Filmmaking & identity | Philippe Aractingi | conversations »
 * Podcast with Nayla : فيليب عرقتنجي ضيف "بودكاست مع نايلة": لأول مرّة على المسرح
 * MTV : صار وقت الحكي فيليب عرقتنجي: السينما على الخشبة

Obsessions (Photo exhibition)
L'Orient-le Jour : Philippe Aractingi et l’insoutenable fragilité de Beyrouth

Hunna (Exhibition)
Ici Beyrouth : " Hunna " ou Elles, une célébration du féminin