Lebanon’s worst-ever economic crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic have dealt a blow to its film industry that had been thriving since the year 2000.
Film producer Myriam Sassine told Kuwaiti News Agency (KUNA) that in 2000 only a couple of feature-length films were produced annually in the country.
Over the years, the number increased steadily, reaching 20-30 films a year before the pandemic, political instability and other factors hit the economy so much so that the country had to seek loans from global financial institutions.
Funding Crunch
In the dire economic situation, even the lowest estimated film production cost of $200,000 appears to be astronomical, said Sassine.
“There is no dearth of talent but liquidity and money are needed to bringing the industry back to the levels witnessed before the pandemic and failing economy,” said Sassine.
Film Director Samir Habchi reiterated that while depleting funding was the main issue facing the industry, it was even more difficult to persuade people to fund socially oriented films.
“The Lebanese market by itself is not capable to produce films nowadays. You need partners from outside,” Habchi said.
The director said that a film which might cost its producer $500,000 needs at least 300,000 viewers for the makers to break even.
“This appears impossible at the time of great economic crisis,” he said.
Creative Economy
President of the Lebanon Cinema Foundation Maya de Freige stressed on the need for a “creative economy” to fund films in the country.
“Given the country’s economic situation, it would be preposterous to seek funding for films,” she said.
Last June, de Freige said, the Foundation and the European Union launched an initiative to guide and train Lebanese producers. With EU’s help, a one-time $76,000 fund has also been set up to support production of films in the country. De Freige hopes these efforts will bear fruit by November this year.