Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano
On 4 August 2020, the catastrophic explosion at the port of Beirut left much of the Lebanese capital in ruins. In the midst of the chaos, a troubled film crew faces an overwhelming decision: to continue or abandon their movie. As they face the aftermath of the catastrophe, they are torn between their firm belief in the transformative power of cinema and a deep sense of cynicism about its ability to effect change in a nation plagued by economic turmoil and societal collapse. Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano chronicles their struggles and highlights the crew's resilience as they strive to find meaning and purpose in their work amidst devastation.
Cyril Aris is a Lebanese Director & Screenwriter and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences®. He holds an MFA from Columbia University in the City of New York, and has taught Film at Columbia University, NHSI at Northwestern University and Barnard College. His latest feature documentary Dancing on the Edge of Volcano (2023), recipient a post-production grant from the Sundance Institute in the US and the Robert Bösch FilmPrize in Germany, premiered in the Main Competition of the 57th Karlovy Vary IFF and won a jury special mention. It had its UK premiere in competition at the 67th BFI London Film Festival and its North American premiere in competition at DOC NYC. His debut feature documentary, The Swing (2018) premiered at the Karlovy Vary IFF, and won awards in El-Gouna, Rome, London, Budapest and Tunisia.
