Samah El Kadi’s BAADARANE won Best Short Live Action Film and Best Lebanese Short Film at the Beirut Shorts International Film Festival — an Academy Award-qualifying film festival.
 
The film world premiered at Shorts Mexico, where it was featured as part of the festival's International Fiction Competition and won Best Short. It then went on to screen at the Baku International Film Festival as well as the Vancouver International Film Festival.
 
BAADARANE follows a young boy from Mount Lebanon who grapples with his mother’s sudden death, questioning the foundation of his faith and whether God punishes or saves people. In a series of mischievous challenges spreading anarchy in his tight-knit village, he attempts to hear back from God, yet hears nothing. His growing frustrations turn sinister and violent as he rejects the religious traditions that once shaped his life.
 
In the absence of God’s response, he realizes the absurdity of the world around him. His rebellion spirals into darkness in this modern spin on the myth of Prometheus through the eyes of an eight-year-old Druze child from Baadarane.
 
Written by Nadim Chammas and Samah El Kadi, the film stars Karim Hani, Mounir Malaeb, and Adham Boukaroum. It is lensed by Lluis Ferrer and Marcel Pascual, edited by Gerard Daccache and Nicolas Khoury, with sound design by Tony Khoury. The film is produced by Darine Hotait and Hanna Atala (Cinephilia and Route 243), supported by Frederic Ephrem at The Filmhouse MENA, distributed regionally by MAD Distribution, while MAD World handles its international sales.
 
Samah El Kadi is a Lebanese director and screenwriter. A graduate of the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles, El Kadi has directed several short films and commercial work for clients including Samsung, Tesla, and Vodafone.He was recently part of the International Emmy-nominated series Stardust, produced by Shahid’s acclaimed 6:07 series. His upcoming projects include the short films Ghostland and Baadarane, as well as his debut feature The Olive Press, currently in development.
 
The Beirut Shorts International Film Festival ran from November 2nd to the 7th.