Metropolis Association presents a fundraising event supported by the Goethe-Institut: 

An open-air ciné-concert on the German classic Variety on the Sursock Museum esplanade - Tuesday, October 1st - 2019 

Original music composed and performed by Sharif Sehnaoui, Tony Elieh, Malek Rizkallah, Youmna Saba and Mme Chandelier.

This event is closing the 6th edition of German Film Week 2019. All profits will go to the Metropolis Cinema Association. 

Created in 2006, The Metropolis Art Cinema Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting independent cinema in Lebanon and the MENA region through diverse programming, industry training, young audience outreach, and preservation of film heritage in order to allow for greater accessibility to alternative films locally and regionally. 

Due to the ongoing budget cuts in the cultural sector in the country and worldwide, we find ourselves threatened to close down our association and lose our cinema.  For the first time in our 13 years of existence, we are launching a fundraising campaign and soliciting you to support us in this decisive moment in order to keep Metropolis alive so we can keep serving our community (artists, students, children, cultural centers and businesses). Your support will allow Metropolis to survive this transitional period, keeping the association afloat until 2020, two years during which we aim to take the first steps towards becoming financially independent and owning our own venue.

Welcome reception with DJ Nasri Sayegh: 18:30  

Ciné-concert: 19:30 

VARIETY by E.A. DUPONT 

Germany, 1925, 1h35, In German with English subtitles

This silent German film tells a tale of jealousy, obsession and murder, set against the backdrop of the circus. Carnival owner "Boss" Huller (Emil Jannings) used to be a talented acrobat. Now he owns a lowbrow sideshow act with his wife. When he meets a beautiful young woman (Lya De Putti), he runs off with her, abandoning his family. But a strapping trapeze artist (Warwick Ward) soon lures away Huller's new lover. Huller then realizes he has swiftly moved from cheater to cuckold.

Sharif Sehnaoui is a musician/composer from Beirut. He plays both electric & acoustic guitars. He founded “Irtijal” in 2000, a yearly international festival that is the oldest experimental music festival in the Arab world. His main groups include the “A” Trio (with Kerbaj & Raed Yassin), and Karkhana, a Middle-Eastern super-group combining musicians from Beirut, Cairo & Istanbul. He also works extensively with dance, theater and composes music for film (Ghassan Salhab, Mai Masri...)

Tony Elieh is one of the pioneers of rock and experimental music in Lebanon, founding member of the first post-rock group of post-war Lebanon, The Scrambled Eggs. He has since developped his unique electric bass skills in various groups and styles of music including Karkhana, Calamita & collaborations with musicians on all sides of the music spectrum. He also recently started playing a very special solo set of heavily processed bass generated sounds.

Malek Rizkallah started playing the drums at an unusually young age. He quickly reached a high level of mastery allowing him to play in nearly any style of music. After a long tenure with post-rock band Scrambled Eggs, including several side projects and collaborations, he became a pillar of acclaimed Lebanese pop-rock band Who Killed Bruce Lee who have widely toured and performed in festivals worldwide.

Youmna Saba is a musician and musicologist currently focusing on the interrelation between traditional Arabic music and electronic and electroacoustic treatments. She has released four albums to this day and is an active member of two collaborative projects Sodassi (initiated by Kamilya Jubran (PS)) and Menura (a Swiss-Lebanese project).

MME CHANDELIER is the alter-ego of Anthony Sahyoun, guitar player with renowned Lebanese post-rock quartet Kinematik. Following its auspicious live debut in 2015, the band has rapidly grown to become one of Lebanon’s most revered rock outfits. Anthony is also a member of electronic duos Stress Distress, with guitarist Fadi Tabbal, and May Berde, with drummer Teddy Tawil. In his solo guise, he works for film and favors electronic experimentation and drone music.

Partners: Goethe-Institut, Sursock Museum, Murnau Stiftung, Wide Vission, Tunefork Studios