Memory Box

Directed by Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige
Starring Rim Turki, Manal Issa, Paloma Vauthier, Cleménce Sabbagh, Hassan Akil

Maia, a single mother, lives in Montreal with her teenage daughter, Alex. On Christmas Eve, they receive an unexpected delivery: notebooks, tapes, and photos Maia sent to her best friend from 1980’s Beirut. Maia refuses to open the box or confront its memories, but Alex secretly begins diving into it. Between fantasy and reality, Alex enters the world of her mother’s tumultuous, passionate adolescence during the Lebanese civil war, unlocking mysteries of a hidden past.

Memory Box will be introduced and presented by the University of Chester Department of Languages and Culture.

Storyhouse Cinema is proud to partner with the University of Chester, Department of Languages and Culture, to bring audiences a glimpse of two contemporary Lebanese films, including the Oscar-nominated drama Capernaum (2018) and the thought-provoking Memory Box (2021).

These two films offer a meditative look at conflicts both past and present and have been chosen to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Beirut bus massacre, a tragic event that took place in Ain El Remmaneh – a Christian-populated district – sparking 16 years of civil war and unrest in Lebanon.

Each screening will be presented by the Department of Languages and Culture as part of their broader programme of public lectures commemorating the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990).