In the Shadow of Beirut, which has already won a number of awards, has been selected as Ireland's official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the upcoming 96th annual Academy Awards.
The documentary by Irish filmmakers Stephen Gerard Kelly and Garry Keane is described as "a searing, cinematic portrait of modern-day Lebanon as seen through the eyes of four families living in the city".
This is the first film from co-director Kelly, who spent five years living among the film's protagonists in the Sabra and Shatila neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Beirut, a city engulfed in economic and political crisis.
He spent the first three years with the central participants of the film before picking up his camera to begin documenting their lives.
The film received its World Premiere at the prestigious Doc Edge Festival in New Zealand in June this year where it won three awards, including Best International Feature Film, which earned its qualification for the Documentary Feature category for the 96th Academy Awards.
Speaking to Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio One, Kelly explained that between 2015 and 2018 he spent almost every day with the same family in the community of Shatila. He said he spent his days learning Arabic and immersing himself in a culture that is very different than where he is from.
He said he filmed the family in times of celebration, including a wedding and childbirth, "but also increasingly in times of hardship and despair and suffering, where people were angry and upset at injustices".
He added: "Each day is a mammoth fight for survival. Just to put food on the table for your family. Despite all that, people have immense love.
"The overarching feeling that I always get when I'm in Sabra and Shatila is incredible love... the importance of family, of sharing and supporting when you have nothing but you still reach out a hand to a neighbour who's in more need than you in that moment".
Speaking about the selection Áine Moriarty, the Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) CEO, said: "This is such an important film for a global audience to connect with. This raw storytelling on screen is delivered with such heart-breaking honesty.
"Stephen has been trusted to bring us up close and personal in this film, into the lives of families who are full of love as they try to live and survive, with the question of hope and human resilience at its core."
Photo credit: Stephen Gerard Kelly
The film was selected by IFTA's 2023 Selection Committee, including filmmaker Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot, The Field), Producer Brian Falconer (Derry Girls, Ordinary Love), Actress Cathy Belton (Philomena, Hidden Assets), Writer/Director Frank Berry (Michael Inside, Aisha) and Media Executive Múirne Laffan.
After each country has selected its official entry for the Best International Feature Film category, all of the films are screened and fifteen films are chosen for an initial shortlist. A second committee narrows down the final five nominees.
Final voting for the winner is restricted to active and life Academy members who have attended screenings of all five nominated films.
Last year, Irish-language feature An Cailín Ciúin/The Quiet Girl was selected as the entry for Best International Feature Film and went on to receive an Oscar Nomination - the first ever Irish language film to achieve this.
The 96th annual Academy Awards will take place on 10 March 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
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