A Sad and Beautiful World (نجوم الأمل و الألم)
In this sweeping love story that spans three decades of passion, heartbreak and hope, Nino and Yasmina find themselves drawn together by a magnetic relationship. As they face an impossible choice between love and survival, they must decide if they want to build a family and chart a path to happiness in Lebanon, despite the tragedies ravaging the country.
Thank you to our screening partner: Arab Film and Media Institute (AFMI).
Screenings
Directors Spotlight
Cyril Aris
Director
Cyril Aris is a Lebanese director and screenwriter, and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
His fiction feature A Sad and Beautiful World (2025) premiered at the Venice Film Festival’s Giornate Degli Autori, winning the Audience Award, and was Lebanon’s official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Oscars. The film screened at major international festivals including BFI London, Palm Springs, San Francisco, Red Sea, Marrakesh and Seminci, earning over 20 awards worldwide.
His documentary Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano (2023), supported by the Sundance Institute, premiered in competition at Karlovy Vary and received a Special Jury Mention, while his debut feature The Swing (2018) also premiered at Karlovy Vary and won international awards.
- Year
- 2025
- Runtime
- 109 minutes
- Country
- Lebanon, United States, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Qatar
- Language
- Arabic
- Director
- Cyril Aris
- Screenwriter
- Cyril Aris
- Producers
- Abbout Productions, Diversity Hire, Reynard Films
- Co Producers
- Sunnyland Film, The Red Sea Fund
- Cast
- Mounia Akl, Hasan Akil
- Cinematographer
- Joe Saade
- Editors
- Nat Sanders, Cyril Aris
- Production Design
- Hanady Medlej
- Sound Design
- Rana Eid, Lama Sawaya, Bassam Lebbos
- Premiere
- Philadelphia