Falafel

Falafel is a 2006 Lebanese film written and directed by Michel Kammoun. It world premiered on September 16, 2006 at the Ayam Beirut Festival. Falafel is Kammoun's first feature film, and was produced by Elle Kensington. Synopsis A summer evening in Beirut. The life of Toufic, a young Lebanese man, and his nightly strolls. Between his family, friends and love affairs, he tries to seize every day of his life, through pleasures and entertainment. For him, every second is the most important. Soon he discovers that having a normal life, in this country, is a luxury. 15 years after the war had ended, a volcano is lying dormant on every street corner, like a time-ticking bomb that is ready explode… This night will be pivotal in the life of the young man. Cast Elie Mitri (Toufic) Gabrielle Bou Rached (Yasmin) Said Serhan Issam Bou Khaled (Abboudi) Michel El Hourany (Nino) Aouni Kawas (Jo) Hiam Abou Chedid Rafic Ali Ahmad Roger Assaf Fadi Abi Samra Maryann Capasso Nate Lord Gregory Funaro (Niru Meeting) Joanna Grigas Darren Greaney (the Green Machine) Christian Velud (himself) Reception Deborah Young of Variety called it "An easy intro to new Lebanese cinema... chronicling the country's post-civil war emptiness with a light touch as it zaps between playful clowning and edge-of-violence darkness."