Skies of Lebanon, the directorial debut of Chloé Mazlo, has been acquired for the U.S. by Dekanalog. The distributor is aiming to release the film theatrically on July 22.
A poetic blending of the personal and political, Skies of Lebanon combines live action with animation to create a vivid picture of Lebanon, inspired by the family history of filmmaker Mazlo. Using stories told to her by her grandmother about life during the Lebanese Civil War, Mazlo crafts what the producers describe as a “touching and heart-breaking story of love during wartime.”
The film sees Alba Rohrwacher (Happy as Lazzaro) play Alice, a Swiss woman who moves to Beirut in the 1950s and falls in love with a Lebanese man. Wajdi Mouawad (author of the play Incendies, which was the source material for Denis Villeneuve’s 2010 film with that same title) plays Joseph, an astrophysicist with dreams of sending his fellow citizens into space, and the object of Alice’s affection. Joseph and Alice appear to lead the perfect life until their bliss is ripped apart by the civil war, and nothing will be the same again.
Alongside announcing the acquisition, Dekanalog has also released the U.S. trailer for Skies of Lebanon, which The Hollywood Reporter can exclusively reveal below.