Karim KASSEM
AP
Octopus surfaced during trauma, in the aftermath of the cataclysmic Port of Beirut explosion. The film silently navigates that unfolding, giving space to the myriad of existential questions birthed by the enormity of the happening. Questions of unexamined worldviews, of suffering and meaning, of collective purpose, and of many other quiet thoughts strewn amidst the rubble. What are we saying when we say nothing at all?
On August 4, 2020, a massive explosion occurred in the port of Beirut, Lebanon, and citizens held large protests against the irresponsible government that led to the explosion and economic crisis. The director had arrived in Beirut the day before the explosion and was in a hotel when it happened. He decided to put Beirut, which was inundated with the aftermath of the explosion and angry public mind, in ¡°silence¡±, and the silence of this film spurts out the energy of the city that cannot be described in words. A quiet city cannot be described by just one word: frustration, resignation, anger, resistance, etc. Occasionally, news of accidents and words expressing the will to rebuild are scattered helplessly in the silence of the city, but the silent actions and expressions of citizens sustain the ruined city. The silence of the city, which no longer trusts the media, does not forget those who have disappeared and the space they left behind, and it¡¯s yet to be decided what kind of city such memory will make.
Karim KASSEM
Born and raised in Beirut, Karim is an award winning filmmaker with his debut feature ¡°Only the Winds¡± (2020) IFFR & Vision Du Reel, followed by ¡°Octopus¡± (2021), which won best film at IDFA 2021 and a Jury Special Mention award at ZagrebDox 2022. It was supported by the Doha Film Institute and the Red Sea Film Fund. He is currently in post for his third feature film titled ¡°Thiiird¡± (2022), closing a trilogy.