The free-spirited Badri family have escaped the toxic pollution and social unrest of Beirut by seeking refuge in the utopic mountain home they have built. But unexpectedly, a garbage landfill is built right outside their fence, bringing the trash and corruption of a whole country to their doorstep. As the landfill rises, so do tensions between leaving or resisting, threatening their idyllic home and family unity. Mounia Akl makes her highly anticipated debut (Cinéfondation Residency, Torino Film Lab, Sundance Institute Lab), with a darkly comic commentary on the realities of modern-day Lebanon. 

Costa Brava, Lebanon captures the joys and frustrations of a close-knit family with an intimacy that feels startlingly natural, and sets them against a sharply drawn backdrop of environmental crisis. In the not-so-distant future, the free-spirited Badri family have escaped the toxic pollution and social unrest of Beirut by seeking refuge in an idyllic mountain home. Without warning, the government starts to build a garbage landfill right outside their fence, intruding on their domestic utopia and bringing the trash and corruption of a whole country to their doorstep. As the landfill rises, so does tension in the household, revealing a long-simmering division between those family members who wish to defend or abandon the mountain oasis they have built. Mounia Akl’s stunning feature debut premiered at Venice and won major prizes at the Toronto and BFI London Film Festivals. Her unique gift with actors is evident in the sensitively realized performances she elicits from her cast, which includes fellow actress and award-winning filmmaker Nadine Labaki. 

Critic Quotes: “A heartfelt charmer.” – Jessica Kiang, Variety

“A terrific feature debut… works both as a compelling domestic drama and an elegant political allegory.”- Wendy Ide, Screen Daily

“Something uniquely special and a perfect, alluring example of all that is wrong with the world we’re living in.” – Hanna B., Film Threat

“When it comes to individual people and their hopes, fears and desires, Akl has a talent for both the surreal flourish and the grounded insight.” – Keith Uhlich, The Hollywood Reporter

Showtimes:

Wednesday, August 24, 2022: 1:00, 7:20

Thursday, August 25, 2022: 1:00, 5:00

Saturday, August 27, 2022: 5:50

Monday, August 29, 2022: 12:00, 4:40

Tuesday, August 30, 2022: 2:20

Wednesday, August 31, 2022: 12:30

Thursday, September 1, 2022: 1:00, 5:50

Ticket Prices: $12 Regular / $10 Students & Seniors / $9 Members