WINE and WAR

Posted by on in Feature Documentary

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WINE and WAR is a feature documentary about the history of winemaking in Lebanon and the resilience of the Lebanese entrepreneurial spirit seen through the lens of war and instability. In a time of global angst, the film is a timely reminder that uncertainty is a way of life for many and looks at the challenges of making wine in a region that has always lived with upheaval.

Lebanon’s wine culture stretches back, almost 7,000 years, and the second millennium BC, the Phoenicians, a Canaanite people who inhabited the Levantine coast, created a powerful trading empire that gave the gift of wine to the then known world, including Greece and ancient Rome.

This unique documentary explains this historical journey, with testimonies from those who fought to make wine in the 1975-90 civil war, the 2006 summer war, and those who continue to produce in the shadow of regional instability.

Inspired by the award-winning book, Wines of Lebanon by Michael Karam, their astonishing stories tell of bravery, determination, and survival and how wine can be a unifier and a metaphor for life, hospitality, civilization, and a force for good in a region defined by turmoil and animosity.

But above all, as we brace ourselves for change not seen in our lifetime, Wine and War is a compelling reminder that history is fraught with challenges that have been faced and ultimately overcome. In a region that is not automatically associated with wine, it is a story of epic achievement, one that shows the best side of humanity, it’s history; it’s tradition of hospitality, and its generosity of spirit.

Director: Mark Johnston, Mark Ryan