The Long Season

A large number of Syrian refugees from Rakka, a city controlled by Islamic State, live in temporary conditions in Camp Khiara in Lebanon. Leonard Retel Helmrich’s new film shows their everyday life and everything that it brings. The Bekaa Valley is a fertile region in eastern Lebanon, and, before the war, Syrians regularly travelled there as seasonal agricultural workers. After the Syrian city of Rakka was occupied by Islamic State, many people fleeing from their native city found refuge from the radical Islamists in the camps located here. The film’s director, who has received multiple awards on the past, spent a year and a half in the refugee camp. He used his unique observational style and long takes with the camera in constant motion to capture the lives of those living in temporary homes. As their longing for home increases, so do the number of family differences and disputes. (One World)