LABAN: The False Prophets of Johann Sebastian Bach
Spring Grants 2020 - Production Stage
Daniel Joseph / Feature Narrative / Lebanon, France, Georgia, Germany, Qatar / 120 min / Original Language: Arabic, French, German / Interests: Comedy
Synopsis
The French take Lebanon over from the Ottoman Empire and decide to flood a village in order to supply electricity to the new nation. Little do they know of the mess this will bring to the lives of these villagers, the Laban family. In order to survive, Adnan proclaims himself a priest in the monastery, Fawzi decides to join the English southlands, Yussef the village chief, tries to untangle the villagers’ knotty family tree—while his daughter, Areej, tries to find her place and identity in all this confusion. The village microcosm will break down into many conflicting pieces—a nightmare that will force the villagers to reexamine their identity and the history that defines them.
Credits
- Director
- Daniel Joseph
- Screenwriter
- Daniel Joseph, Ed Woodhouse
- Producer
- Jessica Khoury, Yohann Comte, Vladimer Katcharava, Julia Wagner
- Production Company
- Abbout Productions
About the Director
Daniel Joseph is a Lebanese-American filmmaker, photographer and painter. He studied photography and painting at the University of Houston before moving to Los Angeles to study filmmaking at Art Center College of Design. In 2008, Joseph returned to his home country Lebanon where he wrote and directed his first narrative feature film, 'Taxi Ballad', which debuted in competition at the Dubai International Film Festival. Joseph currently resides in Beirut, shooting documentaries, fine art photography, and working on his second feature, 'LABAN: The False Prophets of Johann Sebastian Bach'.