'Malaki – Scent of an Angel' is a surreal fiction film based on the families of those abducted during the Lebanese civil war who are still waiting for answers. Many films and documentaries have been made on the subject but this is the first to feature real interviews with the families and it has received worldwide attention. We spoke to director Khalil Zaarour Khalil Zaarour on the film that’s been nominated for best documentary feature in the SalinaDocFest in Sicily and has been awarded a trophy by Fondation Liban Cinema at ‘La Nuit des Mabrouks’, a night honouring Lebanese cinema.

Why did you think it was important to tell the stories of the mothers’ of these victims?
I felt as a filmmaker that it’s my duty to shed light on this forgotten matter in Lebanon. I saw the mothers and parents of these missing persons, plus, as we speak they’re still living in a tent in Downtown Beirut facing the UN headquarters for six and a half years now. It’s the longest sit-in in the world. Still they have no answer about the whereabouts of their sons and daughters.

Why did you choose to do a story that avoided political implications and focused on the human story?
Because it is human before it’s political. I made the film, purely focused on the pain, on the agony, on the suffering of the mothers whoever they are, without approaching the subject in a political matter. I didn’t want it to be used by politicians in Lebanon for their own benefits.

Was it an emotional experience for you during interviewing the families?
Of course, [it was] very emotional, very moving for me and for the rest of the crew. We were shooting something real, something painful. The feelings were authentic. There was nothing staged or faked in it.

The film blurs the lines between reality and fiction. Why did you decide to present their stories in a surreal way?
Because many documentaries were made before on this matter. Their lives were too short, because it was made for TV or special screenings. I decided to use the cinematic reconstruction for the film to be able to go to the international festivals and movie theatres, and that’s what actually happened. It was the first time a documentary was released in commercial theatres in Lebanon. Now I’ve toured with the film for more than seven to eight festivals and the critics and the audience loved it. This is all thanks to the embassy of the Netherlands in Lebanon, who supported the film.

Now Malaki has been screened worldwide do you think it’s drawn more attention to this human rights issue?
That’s the main purpose of the film. The main purpose is to show it everywhere in the world to shed light on this matter in Lebanon, on these mothers and parents. Yes, maybe each time the film gets a nomination or an award or it’s screened somewhere I think the media should talk more about it. Maybe the [Lebanese] officials should see the film and maybe they’ll get emotional or something. I think they’ve forgotten all about them.

What’s the future for these mothers? Will they get answers?
I really don’t know. I sure hope so. I think – and that’s what they were saying – the officials, the governments from the 80s until now, are waiting for them to be sick and waiting for them to die and then the fight will be closed. I think if the officials won’t do anything, the human rights associations, the NGOs, the activists should do something about it.

Interview: Natalie Shooter

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