GEHENNAH

Filmmaker's note

In my work, I investigate human behavior and I particularly emphasize on cultural behavior. In many countries, individual rights are still not decoupled from communal or domestic obligations. Ge.hen'nah addresses the topic of self-sacrifice and patriarchal domination. It focuses on the patriarchal structure of many families in Lebanon and other countries around the world. Even outside the boundary of domesticity, women are often denied an autonomous public voice or space in negotiating their gender-specific needs. The idea of equal rights is fairly new in the context of human history but artists have always pushed the liberal ideas and I certainly want to continue this trend in my work. In Ge.hen'nah, Yvette is trapped in the house of her parents, and she does not have the right to lead the life she wants to lead. It is clearly a suppression of freedom. Moreover, Yvette relinquish her personal life and well-being for the sake of her mother and the cause. We shot the film after almost one year of pre-production last summer in a small rural town called Bejjeh, 30 minutes north of Beirut, Lebanon. With the help of an amazing crew, lots of enthusiasm, energy and sweat, and much support and love from the local people in Lebanon, we were able to tell this story that we felt was so important to tell.