Last September, Time Out Beirut met with De Gaulle Eid following the banning of his film from the Né à Beyrouth, Ayam Beirut Al Cinema’iya and Beirut International Film festivals (at the latter, it was screened to the jury and received the Jury Special Prize). Now, it is one of the films that is making it to public cinemas for the first time in Lebanon. The Forbidden Films festival brings together films that could not be shown at BIFF in 2009 and 2010 - both an opportunity for audiences to make their own decisions, and a surprise collaboration with the authorities.

What is ‘Chou Sar?’ [What Happened?] about?
It tells the true story of a massacre that my family and I experienced on December 9, 1980 in Edbel, Akkar, in the North of Lebanon. 13 people died, including my father, my mother and my little sister. It’s a live testimony with a dramatic force. It denounces general amnesty, and describes and names the assassins, who are still free today.

What were your plans for the film in Lebanon?
I wanted it to premiere at the Né à Beyrouth festival, but I was not allowed. It was in the Ayam Beirut Al Cinema’iya festival selection but I couldn’t show it there either. It’s already been shown or will be shown in Spain, Dubai, Milan, France and Morocco.

What reasons were given for banning the film?
Authorities said the movie was too direct, and mentions names of the people who were murdered, and political parties. But this kind of story was common in the Lebanese villages, due to political affiliations, revenge plots and schemes. But [the state’s decisions] force us to erase our memories. We should fight back against such decisions. We can’t have inner peace without having answers. Reconciliations between communities should take place in order to achieve peace.

Do you think films such as yours can have a positive effect on reconciliation, without inciting a dangerous reaction?
Yes. We should sometimes shake some things up for the sake of our memory. We have what is called a democracy in disguise. Raymond Eddé once said when exiled ‘we have the freedom to speak, but we don’t have democracy.’

Did you obtain permission to shoot your film?
Yes, I checked it out with the people in the village to let them know what I was doing. They gave me the authorisation to shoot. In the end, there’s a real scene where by chance I meet one of the assassins who killed my mother. It’s not just a movie, or some TV report. It’s a documentary feature dealing with facts and the truth, and the characters portrayed in it are an example of what happened in many villages. We will try to promote the film in order to raise awareness on the subject.

Should the authorities have any say in what is shown in cinemas?
They should watch movies and rate them, give a suitable minimum age for viewing, not forbid people from viewing them. It should be people’s choice, not the government’s. Sometimes, some political leaders’ speeches are more dangerous than movies, because they promote hatred. A director promotes hatred if he leads propaganda. This is not propaganda.

Have your family seen the film?
No, I want them to see it in a theatre where they can have a dialogue with the people. Things have not changed in our village concerning politics. Everything will change the day we will have a real state. We should change things and separate religion from politics.

What about finding ways around censorship?
If we want to fight against censorship, we shouldn’t promote our films on the Internet. General Security knows that uploading movies on the Internet legitimises censorship. The Internet is a means of communication. It’s not a tangible way for filmmaking to express itself.

Interview: Ellen Hardy