Set in the heart of Lebanon, Cyril Aris’ debut feature film, A Sad and Beautiful World, tells a story of love and friendship across three decades amid war and tragedy.
Mounia Akl (“Costa Brava, Lebanon”) and Hasan Askil (“Memory Box”, “The Insult”) star in the film, which premiered at the 2025 Venice Film Festival, where it won the Giornate Degli Autori Audience Award. The film went on to play at the BFI London Film Festival, SF International Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival, Sao Paolo FF, Red Sea Film Festival, Marrakech International Film Festival, among others, and was Lebanon’s entry for the Academy Awards Best International Feature Film.
It is slated to open in theaters starting on July 24 in New York at the Quad Cinema; then on July 31 in Los Angeles at Laemmle Royal, in Santa Barbara at SBIFF Film Center, and in Chicago at Uprising Theater; August 7 in Eugene, Oregon at Darkside Cinema; with additional markets to follow.
In a love story that spans three decades of friendship, passion, heartbreak, and hope, Nino, an eternal optimist, and Yasmina, an impulsive pragmatist, are drawn together by a magnetic relationship. Struggling with universal choices of adult life in the extraordinary circumstances of a country constantly ravaged by war, they are confronted with an impossible choice between love and survival. They must decide if they can build a family and chart a path to happiness in Lebanon, despite the tragedies ravaging their country, or if they should seize the opportunity for reinvention far from home.
“Amid Lebanon’s perpetual crises, I witnessed how humor and love became our shields against darkness. This film embraces that unique sense of Lebanese humor while exploring deeper themes of parenthood and legacy.” Aris said.
Aris co-wrote the film with Bane Fakih. The film came to life with the work of editor Nat Sanders (”Moonlight”, “If Beale Street Could Talk”), imaging by Joe Saade (“Joyland”, “Costa Brava, Lebanon”), production design by Hanady Medlej (“Costa Brava, Lebanon”), and costumes by Zeina Saab Demelero (“Capernaum”)
Watch the official trailer for A Sad and Beautiful World above.
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