Lost in the heart of Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley after fleeing the Syrian war, young Abed and his ailing grandfather struggle to reach Beirut, only to be met with an unforgiving fate. Karim Rahbani’s poignant short captures displacement, resilience, and the stark realities faced by those seeking refuge.
Special Festival Presentation
As part of our 2025 Opening Celebration, Cargo will screen alongside two other works by Karim Rahbani, honouring him as an award-winning director shaping the future of Lebanese cinema. This triple-film tribute showcases his exceptional talent and his profound ability to tell stories that resonate both locally and internationally.
Biography – Karim Rahbani
Karim Rahbani is a Lebanese award-winning director. His first two short films, With Thy Spirit and Cargo, have been widely screened in numerous festivals around the world and garnered over 30 awards collectively.
His body of work in the film industry encompasses a diverse range of projects, spanning from fictional films and documentaries to TV shows and advertisement videos in the Middle East and the Gulf region.
In 2020 he was selected to write and direct a short film part of the International Emmy-nominated series Beirut 6:07 following the tragic blast on August 4, 2020, that decimated the city.
Recently, Rahbani directed Dark Minds, the first Arab docu-series about the serial killers of the region (produced by SRMG Studios and now on Netflix).
In 2022 he co-founded RAHBANI 3.0, a music and film production company. He served as the director and co-producer of the 2024 Lebanese National Tourism Campaign Meshwar Rayhin Meshwar, which has received extensive promotion both domestically and among the diaspora.
Karim Rahbani is part of the third generation of the Rahbani family renowned for their vibrant oriental music and musical plays.
