Beirut through the voices of the children who would inherit it.
Kermal Beirut is a 2020 music film by Public Matters Lebanon, directed by Nassif Al Rayess and built around the voices of 23 children.
Created after the August 4 Beirut blast, the project chose not to speak about the city only through damage. It listened instead to a younger generation and the Beirut they hoped to inherit.
The city was wounded. The film chose to listen to what came next.
From the film
Beirut became part of the performance.
The film moved through real parts of Beirut, including spaces still carrying the physical trace of the blast. Those locations gave the song weight without turning destruction into spectacle.
The visual approach stayed close to the children. Their presence, energy and directness were more important than any production gesture around them.
A campaign carried by people.
The project was produced by Julie BouChakra, with Mohamad Ataya as executive producer. Lyrics were written by Norka Khoueiry, music was composed by Walperion, and recording took place at EAN Music Studios.
The strength of the piece came from bringing campaign thinking, music and cinema together without losing the human center of the message.
More than an awareness film.
Kermal Beirut became a small cultural record of a specific moment: children speaking to their city from inside the reality they had inherited.
For Spred, it reflects a kind of work that still matters deeply. Public-interest communication can carry strategy and purpose while remaining emotional, cinematic and genuinely human.
