The Village is an independent homemade documentary that chronicles the history of the past century through the lives of the oldest residents of Roumieh, a small Lebanese village nestled in the hills overlooking Beirut.
In The Press
Interview with Tania Khalaf in Agenda Culturel
“Le Village, plus qu’un documentaire, ce film est une tranche d’Histoire en elle-même. Camera au poing, Tania Khalaf a patiemment rencontré les aînés du village de Roumieh et les a écouté raconter leurs vies. Elle partage ces récits avec le public dans un émouvant document.”
Review in AlRiyadh Newspaper:
.”يمكننا اعتبار تجربة تانيا سعيد خلف عبر فيلمها "الضيعة" من التجارب الثقافية التي يجب تثمينها، فحين تقضي الصراعات السياسية على أحلامنا، تنقذنا الثقافة من الاندثار”
Interview with Tania Khalaf in L’Orient-Le-Jour
“La vie, pas si secrète, des habitants de Roumieh.
Tania Khalaf vient de partager son film « al-Dayaa » (« Le Village » ou « The Village ») sur les réseaux sociaux. Un documentaire comme une leçon de vie et de vivre-ensemble, salutaire par ces temps si durs.”
These women and men lived through the second World War, the fall of an empire, the occupation and liberation by foreign armies and survived a famine,
to name just a few of the events that punctuated a tumultuous 20th century.
The iconic Jeddo Mike (Grandpa Mike), a dapper restaurateur who entertained ambassadors, world leaders and many others in his tiny, simple restaurant in the heart of Roumieh, leads us through the streets of his village, as we meet other residents of his generation who help us peel away the years and relive harder, yet simpler times.
-
![]()
Jeddo Mike
-
![]()
Jean
-
![]()
Noha
-
![]()
Youssef
-
![]()
Rachid
-
![]()
Geryes
-
![]()
Labibeh
-
![]()
Mounira & Friends
-
![]()
Salwa
-
![]()
Khalil
-
![]()
Yasmine & Sylvia
-
![]()
Laurette
-
![]()
Chedid
-
![]()
Joseph
-
![]()
Edward
These senior residents of Roumieh recount the years of famine, the poverty in the mountains, the end of the Ottoman Empire, the British Army’s presence during WWII…
Like many other villages in the Lebanese mountains, Roumieh has undergone startling changes over the past century, as technology and the fast pace it imposes changed the social fabric of the community.
Yet, even today, this village continues to cling to some of its traditions, as the modernity that spreads from Beirut threatens to erase what is left of its distinctive way of life.
As we contemplate an end to the COVID-19 pandemic and many of us emerge from a period of introspection and re-evaluation of our priorities, The Village helps us understand what it takes to ensure that a community survives through incredible hardship, celebrating joy and surviving pain together.
1956 George AbiHabib leaving to USA for the first time
1940s Roumieh - El Ayn
The Village premiered in a limited screening on August 18th 2021 in Roumieh, an event dedicated to the stars of the show, the residents of Roumieh.
About The Director
In 2014, I started filming the oldest residents of Roumieh, my village in the hills overlooking Beirut, as an archival project to ensure that their stories are never forgotten.
I never got to meet most of my grandparents, save for my Teta Julie, who was an amazing storyteller and taught me so much about what life was like in Lebanon in the late 19th and 20th centuries.
I regretted not capturing her stories on film for posterity, and decided I wanted to capture the stories of her peers before it was too late: they carry in their memories a way of life that is disappearing, and I thought it important to immortalize this oral history for the sake of my generation and future generations.
I would spend days, sometimes weeks, in their company, following their daily routines in the hope of transmitting the most authentic account of how they lived their lives.
I had no intention of making a movie out of it. But every time I would spend hours and days with one of these amazing individuals, they would invariably ask me when they could see the movie.
I became convinced that I owed it to them to compile the 70+ hours of footage into a film that celebrates the incredible lives these most valued citizens have lived.
In making The Village, I wanted to ensure that their stories and memories would not be forgotten by our generations. They fought hard to build our community, faced terrible adversity and moments of great joy and celebration, and did so together.
Today, as my country, Lebanon, goes through an existential crisis that threatens the very fabric of what our forebears have built, I find comfort in reliving the lives of our elders, a reminder that through community and with time, no challenge is insurmountable.