Bosta (2005)

Director:

Philippe Aractingi

Writer:

Philippe Aractingi

Release Date:

15 March 2006 (United Arab Emirates)

Genre:

Musical | War

Plot:

Fifteen years after a traumatic explosion in his native Beirut, Kamal Maf'ouss returns from France,...

Plot Keywords:

Live TV | Explosion | Dance Contest | Ruins | Bomb

Cast

Rodney El Haddad	...	Kamal Maf'ouss
Nadine Labaki	...	Alia
Nada Abou Farhat	...	Vola
Liliane Nemri	...	Arzeh
Omar Rajeh	...	Omar
Mounir Malaeb	...	Toufic
Bshara Atallah	...	Khalil
Raya Meddine	...	Isabelle
Joelle Rizk	...	Katia
Mahfouz Barakat	...	William Maswani
Mahmoud Mabsout	...	Mr. Naim
Bader Haddad	...	Alia's Mother
Youssef Emalhoub	...	Alia's Father
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Khaled Abdallah
Rouwelda Attieh
Abir Nehme	...	Alia (singing voice)
Latifa Saadi	...	Toufic's Wife
Sabah	...	Sabah

Directed by
Philippe Aractingi

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Philippe Aractingi

Produced by
Diane Aractingi	....	coordinating producer
Philippe Aractingi	....	producer

Original Music by
Ali El Khatib
Simon Emmerson
Martin Russell

Cinematography by
Gary Turnbull

Film Editing by
Dana K. Trometer

Art Direction by
Cynthia Zahar

Set Decoration by
Cynthia Zahar

Costume Design by
Milia Maroun

Production Management
Eric Trometer	....	post-production supervisor

Sound Department
Fabien Devillers	....	sound re-recording mixer
Rana Eid	....	sound editor
Vincent Pateau	....	dialogue editor
Bruno Seznec	....	sound supervisor

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Rana Abboot	....	stylist

Editorial Department
Denis Bedlow	....	assistant editor
Dana K. Trometer	....	editor: Lebanon

Production Companies

• Fantascope Production

Distributors

• Eden (2008) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Zelig Films Distribution (2007) (France) (theatrical)

Also Known As:

"Bosta l'autobus" - France
"L'autobus" - Canada (French title)

Runtime:

Lebanon:142 min

Country:

Lebanon

Language:

Arabic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Filming Locations:

Lebanon

Company:

Fantascope Production

Trivia:

Writer/director Philippe Aractingi appears in the movie as one of the judges in the dance contest.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Smagsdommerne: Episode #8.3" (2008)

A Day in the Life of Lebanon

This film is about a Lebanese folk dance troupe that goes on tour. They do traditional "debke" but also modernized, even hip hop, versions, which are controversial in their country.

I am not Lebanese, nor Arab, so for me this was a treat on several levels. I got to see a country that's been in the news a lot, but about which I know little. The music is wonderful, the dancing interesting. Contrary to what most people here are saying, I thought the acting amateurish and the plot predictable. Mediocre cinematography.

But that's not the point -- this is a fun movie. It's a bit longer than it should be, but the music is thrilling. Also funny. I saw it at the Arabic Film festival in San Francisco, and most of the audience was Arabic if not Lebanese, so I got a sense I didn't get all the humor, but most of the dialog is accessible to anyone. If you like Middle Eastern music, don't miss it.