Lebanese Docufilm “Do You Love Me” Premieres at 2025 Venice Film Festival

The film “Do You Love Me”, directed by Lebanese filmmaker Lana Daher, made its world premiere at this year’s Venice Film Festival.

Made entirely out of archival material, the docufilm invites viewers into a cinematic time capsule of Beirut. It weaves together seven decades of film reels, television clips, family tapes, and photographs.

The documentary traces the shifting moods of a city caught between celebration and catastrophe, intimacy and upheaval.

In the absence of an official national archive, it reimagines Beirut’s memory through the eyes of its people. It turns scattered fragments into a collective portrait of resilience, loss, and enduring creativity.

Its reconstruction of Beirut’s fragmented history debuted on the big screen at the 2025 Venice Film Festival. It was also picked up by Lightdox, a Swiss and French-based international sales and distribution agency.

Lightdox will now bring the film to the global stage, giving it the chance to screen at international festivals, broadcasters, and streaming platforms. In other words, “Do You Love Me” will move beyond its Venice debut. It will travel, sharing Beirut’s layered memories with audiences far beyond Lebanon.

The film’s journey is a proud moment not just for Lana Daher, but for Lebanese cinema as a whole. In a landscape where local stories often struggle to find both national and international platforms, “Do You Love Me” breaking into Venice marks a victory worth celebrating.

Congratulations to Lana and the team behind the documentary for carrying Beirut’s memory beyond its borders. And here’s to more Lebanese filmmakers making their voices heard on the world stage!

MORE LIKE THIS

Hamra’s Golden Days Return: The Iconic “Le Colisée Cinema” Is Reopening!

One of the city’s oldest cinemas has been brought back to life! Here are all the details about its reopening.