A Sad and Beautiful World
| A Sad and Beautiful World | |
|---|---|
International teaser poster | |
| Arabic | نجوم الأمل و الألم |
| Literally | Stars of hope and pain |
| Directed by | Cyril Aris |
| Screenplay by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Joe Saade |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Anthony Sahyoun |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Paradise City |
Release date |
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Running time | 110 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | Lebanese |
A Sad and Beautiful World (Arabic: نجوم الأمل و الألم) is a 2025 romantic comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Cyril Aris, in his first feature debut. Set in Beirut, it follows childhood sweethearts Nino (Hasan Akil) and Yasmina (Mounia Akl), who had lost sight of one another, reuniting in their 20s against the backdrop of political turmoil and social collapse in present-day Lebanon.[1]
The film had its world premiere at the Giornate degli Autori section of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on 31 August 2025,[2][3] where it won the section's People's Choice Award.[4] It was selected as the Lebanese entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.[5][6]
Cast
- Mounia Akl as Yasmina
- Hasan Akil as Nino
- Julia Kassar as Oumaya
- Camille Salameh as Antoine
- Tino Karam as Chafic
- Anthony Karam
- Nadyn Chalhoub as Leila
Production
In October 2021 the film was selected for the Cinemed Development Grant at the 31st instalment of the Montpellier Film Festival.[7] It won the main grant at the Cinemed on 21 October 2021.[8] In November 2021, the film project was selected for the European Coproduction Forum.[9]
In October 2024, the film was selected for the Atlas Workshops at the Marrakech International Film Festival.[10] Jeff Nichols, American film director and screenwriter mentored the directors at Atlas Workshops + Project Line-Up.[11] It also won €10,000 Atlas Post-production Prizes at the Atlas Workshops in December 2024.[12]
The filming began in early summer of 2024 and continued till the end of the year in the backdrop of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.[13]
The film marks Cyril Aris's debut as a fiction feature director. It also marks the return of Lebanese actress, screenwriter, and director Mounia Akl to the big screen. Produced by Abbout Productions, Diversity Hire, and Reynard Productions, the project is co-produced with Sunnyland Film—an ART member, and The Red Sea Fund, an initiative of the Red Sea International Film Festival. Additional support came from Fonds Image de la Francophonie, the Doha Film Institute, Visions Sud Est with backing from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the Atlas Workshops, and the Lebanese Film Fund.[5][14][15]
Release
A Sad and Beautiful World was selected in the Kaleidoscope section of the Filmfest Hamburg and was screened on 1 October 2025.[16] It was also selected in the Thematic strands: 'Love' section of the 2025 BFI London Film Festival and had its UK premiere on 11 October 2025.[17][18]
It also was chosen for the 'Meeting Point' slate of the 70th Valladolid International Film Festival and was screened in October.[19][20]
It was also screened in International Perspective at the São Paulo International Film Festival on 24 October 2025.[21]
It competed in the Red Sea: Competition strand at the Red Sea International Film Festival and had screening on 5 December 2025.[22][23]
The film will compete in the Awards Buzz – Best International Feature Film section of the 37th Palm Springs International Film Festival on 3 January 2026.[24]
Reception
Giorgia Del Don of Cineuropa at the Venice Film Festival’s Giornate degli Autori praised the film as director Cyril Aris’s heartfelt tribute to Lebanon, highlighting its nuanced portrayal of love, humour, and resilience amid national uncertainty. Del Don commended the film for its emotionally rich narrative spanning three decades, avoiding sentimentality through complex, non-stereotypical characters. While concluding his review Del Don observed that the effective use of archival footage and Anthony Sahyoun’s evocative score, "leads the public between reality and fiction, hope and despair," further more the "need to escape and the fear of leaving;" all the "contradictory feelings" deepen the film’s exploration of identity, memory, and the tension between escape and belonging.[25]
Accolades
| Award / Film Festival | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venice International Film Festival | 6 September 2025 | Giornate degli Autori, People’s Choice Award | A Sad and Beautiful World | Won | [26] |
| Red Sea International Film Festival | 13 December 2025 | Yusr Best Screenplay | Cyril Aris | Won | [27] |
See also
- List of submissions to the 98th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
- List of Lebanese submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
References
- ^ Aris, Cyril (31 August 2025). "A Sad and Beautiful World". Cineuropa. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ Vittoria Scarpa (25 July 2025). "The personal is political at the 22nd Giornate degli Autori". Cineuropa. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ "Competition 2025: A Sad and Beautiful World". Giornate degli Autori. 14 August 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ "Palmarès 2025: Full list of award winners". Giornate degli Autori. 6 September 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ a b Goodfellow, Melanie (25 September 2025). "Oscars: Lebanon Selects 'A Sad & Beautiful World' For Best International Feature Film Category". Deadline. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ "Culture Minister Announces Lebanon's Nomination of Cyril Aris Film "A Sad and Beautiful World" for 2026 Oscars". Agence National de l'Information. 25 September 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ Lemercier, Fabien (18 October 2021). "REPORT: Cinemed Meetings 2021". Cineuropa. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ Lemercier, Fabien (21 October 2021). "A Sad and Beautiful World wins at the Cinemed Meetings". Cineuropa. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ González, David (4 November 2021). "Seville's European Coproductions Forum focuses on Germany". Cineuropa. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ Popp, Olivia (30 October 2024). "Marrakech announces the 27 projects and films selected for this year's Atlas Workshops". Cineuropa. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (25 October 2024). "Jeff Nichols To Mentor Emerging Arab & African Directors At Marrakech's Atlas Workshops + Project Line-Up". Deadline. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ Popp, Olivia (6 December 2024). "Aisha Can't Fly Away and Princesse Téné scoop the top prizes at this year's Atlas Workshops". Cineuropa. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (2 September 2025). "Cyril Aris Explores Contradictions Of Life In Lebanon In 'A Sad & Beautiful World': "Every Generation Has Their Own Trauma" – Venice". Deadline. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ "Red Sea Film Foundation Shines At The 82nd Venice Film Festival With Five Supported Films Selected". Red Sea International Film Festival. 26 August 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ "A Sad and Beautiful World". Marrakech International Film Festival. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ "A Sad and Beautiful World". Filmfest Hamburg. 14 July 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ Boyce, Laurence (4 September 2025). "The BFI London Film Festival lifts the lid on the titles for its 69th edition". Cineuropa. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ "A Sad and Beautiful World". BFI London Film Festival. 3 September 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ Sánchez Sequera, Marco (4 September 2025). "Seminci presenta el cartel de su 70ª edición y anuncia ocho nuevos títulos que competirán en la sección Punto de Encuentro" [Seminci presents the lineup for its 70th edition and announces eight new titles that will compete in the Meeting Point section.]. Audiovisual451 (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ "A Sad and Beautiful World". Valladolid International Film Festival. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ "A Sad and Beautiful World". São Paulo International Film Festival. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
- ^ "A Sad and Beautiful World". Red Sea International Film Festival. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
- ^ Salwa, Ola (6 November 2025). "The fifth Red Sea International Film Festival announces its full line-up". Cineuropa. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
- ^ "A Sad and Beautiful World". Palm Springs International Film Festival. 3 December 2025. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
- ^ Del Don, Giorgia (2 September 2025). "Review: A Sad and Beautiful World". Cineuropa. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ Vittoria Scarpa (5 September 2025). "Giornate degli Autori's GdA Director's Award goes to Inside Amir by Iran's Amir Azizi". Cineuropa. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ Salwa, Ola (12 December 2025). "Lost Land and All That's Left of You triumph at the fifth Red Sea International Film Festival". Cineuropa. Retrieved 12 December 2025.