THE BIRDS HAVE LEFT BEIRUT wins Best Short Documentary at Bahrain Film Festival

release date October 10 2023

Khalil Dreyfus Zaarour’s documentary THE BIRDS HAVE LEFT BEIRUT won the Best Short Documentary Award at the 2023 Bahrain Film Festival, which ran from October 5th to the 9th.

Directed and written by Khalil Dreyfus Zaarour, THE BIRDS HAVE LEFT BEIRUT delves into the aftermath of a pivotal event that occurred on August 4th, 2020. This date shook a country, changed a city, and destroyed lives. The film views the disaster through Zeina’s eyes.

Starring Rodolphe ZAAROUR and produced by Paul Thiltges Distributions, THE BIRDS HAVE LEFT BEIRUT held its world premiere at the Cairo International Film Festival.

Khalil Dreyfus Zaarour is an award-winning independent filmmaker, who started teaching at universities at the age of 28.

He began his filmmaking career in 2006 with his award-winning short film THE WINDOW. Then, in 2010, he directed the award-winning docu-fiction MALAKI - SCENT OF AN ANGEL about missing persons during the civil war.

In 2019, he made his first fiction feature, NOUR, which was highly acclaimed and released in cinemas in France, winning more than 45 awards and nominations worldwide.