BORNSTARS: A Daring New Chapter in Lebanese Cinema

Five friends. One quest. $7,000. Ten days. That’s the premise of BORNSTARS, the debut feature film by director Caroline Labaki, hitting cinemas across Lebanon on September 18 before making its way to international audiences later this year.

Described as “based on a real made-up story,” BORNSTARS brings together an ensemble cast including Tony Eli Kanaan, Nour Hajjar, Elie Njeim, Ziad Saliba, and Ryan Laia, a mix of personalities whose on-screen chemistry promises both comedy and chaos. The film blends pop culture edge with emotional undercurrents, wrapped in Labaki’s distinct storytelling voice.

A Story Years in the Making

The journey to BORNSTARS began long before cameras rolled. In 2012, a casual lunch between producer Chady Eli Mattar and Tony Eli Kanaan sparked an idea that would grow into a decade-long creative partnership. “From that moment on, Tony and I weren’t just collaborators—we became brothers in arms,” Mattar recalls in an Instagram post.

The project gained momentum when Caroline Labaki came on board. Described by Mattar as “a force of nature… a master storyteller who weaves pop culture, modernity, and emotional truth into something unforgettable,” Labaki transformed the script into a cinematic world that feels both universal and distinctly Lebanese.

From Setback to Release

The road to release wasn’t without heartbreak. Just a week after the team at Closed Captions Communications first read the script in 2020, the Beirut Port explosion changed everything. The tragedy put the project on pause as life and priorities shifted.

Now, five years later, the team is ready to release the project. Closed Captions contributed graphics, marketing, communications, and Gen Z trend insights to help shape the film’s voice for today’s audience. The result is a movie that’s arriving in theaters as both a piece of entertainment and a symbol of creativity.

More Than a Movie

As the poster teases and the tagline dares, this is not just a film about chasing a dream, it’s about the friendships, risks, and ridiculous detours along the way…all wrapped in a hilarious pun for a title.

More like this? Arze: The Lebanese Movie Making Strides Across Film Festivals Around The World