The story of the film is based in part on my visual memory of the 15 years of civil war in Lebanon. At that time I was running around with my camera, recording all kinds of unusual events of the war. I had the feeling that I would one day put these scenes in a feature film. The war ended in 1990. Five years later, I decided to start putting some of these stories on paper but I felt that I needed to stop to create more distance and to organize my thoughts. I continued to make documentaries with Mai (Masri.) In 1997, I started to focus on the final script and began looking for funding. At the end of 1998, I started shooting without completing the budget. The shooting took two months. The post-production took more time because I stopped to look for funding to cover the final cost. The film was ready for screening in October 2000.

- In the film, the none of the sides (or militias) are ever identified as Christian or Muslim, East or West. Can you tell us a bit about why that is?

The sectarian problem in Lebanon is a very old one and dates back to the middle of the 19th century, before the birth of Lebanon as a state. It was and still is a very dangerous and sensitive problem. From the mid sixties to the first half of the seventies, this problem began to disappear in the minds of the new generation and contradictions within Lebanese society became based more in social issues rather than sectarian ones. But during the civil war sectarianism began to show its face once again due to the disintegration of Lebanese society and the extent of regional and international involvement. Now a new way of thinking among the post-war generation has started to take place. I believe in the necessity of a secular and humane society in Lebanon. The reason I didn't mention the names of religious groups in the dialogue is because I didn't feel the necessity to play the same sectarian game. I wanted to go beyond that to achieve a more human level.

- There are sections in the film that are clearly footage shot during the war - is it yours? How was it done and when?

I shot about 80 per cent of this footage and the remaining 20 per cent was shot by friends and institutions. The first part was shot during different periods in south Lebanon. The second part was shot at the beginning of the war and during the siege of Beirut and includes the massacres of Sabra and Shatila in 1982. The last part was just after the end of the war.

- When making a film about the civil war, how would you like it to relate to present day Lebanon? What things would you hope that people think about when they see your film, or even learn from your film?

I believe in history, in memory, in the transmission of human experience. The film, for me, is a kind of modest participation and talks about people who survived very critical conditions. It is also about how they act and the results of their actions. This film could be a kind of warning, especially for the new generation who didn't experience the civil war.

- how much of the film would you say is based on your own experience, or that of family and friends during the war?

The story is based partly on my experience with the different kinds of people I encountered during the shooting of the documentaries, My way of working with people in documentary film, is to be very close to them and to build a confident relationship by always trying to reach a certain level of indentification with them. This methods succeeds in breaking barriers between myself as filmmaker and the person I am working with. I started to use this method during the mid seventies at the beginning of my career. Most of the characters in my films became close friends and we share ideas and a vision for the future of the country.

- can you talk about the music in the film and where it comes from?Also, can you tell us a bit about the casting of the film and the actors, especially the actors who play Rami and Siham?

During the editing of the film, I started to look for music and after trying out several musical pieces I finally found Omar Bashir, a young musician and the son of a well known composer, Munir Bashir. I was invited to attend a Oud concert by Omar in London. I liked his music and asked him if he had ever written music for films. While he admitted to not having worked with film, he said he would be interested in composing for my film. The score was the result of several sessions in the recording studio during which Omar improvised while watching scenes from the film.

Since Lebanon doesn't have many experienced film actors I decided that the criterion for the casting of the film would be based firstly on the actor's personal experiences and whether or not the actor's own experience was related to that of the character they would portray. Rami had experienced the civil war. We also used his nephew to play the role of the younger Rami. Siham's uncle was kidnapped during the war and I was certain that this experience would help her feel the character from within.

- Can you describe what daily life in Beirut was like during that period?

As soon as the war started chaos took over the country because the militias in different areas took power and central government began to disintegrate. Daily life became problematic for everyone and power and water cuts became routine. Kidnappings, killings, distractions and displacement created an atmosphere of fear among the people. This was what prompted many people to leave the country in large numbers - about 30 percent of the population left the country during the 15 years of civil war.

- what about the Hyena? what does the Hyena represent in your point of view?

The Hyena is a traditional character in Lebanon, an anti-hero. As a character, he represents the head of one of the militias who was corrupt even before the outbreak of the war. Once the war was over this character became a member of the political elite.

- where has the film screened in Lebanon and what have the reactions been?

It was released in four theaters in Beirut in 2000 and showed for eleven weeks. It also touring villages and other cities in Lebanon. Fifteen days ago I was invited to have a discussion with the audience after the showing of the film in a village in south Lebanon. One person from the audience said: "This is the third time I see the film, and every time I feel I am discovering something new. It is like wine when it becomes older and has a better taste". After another showing in a village in the Bekkaa in the north east of the country, a lady told me: "Your film is the conscience of Lebanon."

- what are you working on now?

I am working on a docu-drama about the experiences of a female ex-prisoner in Khiam prison in southern Lebanon during the Israeli occupation. This film will be expressed from a human point of view and reinforce the views of human rights organizations which criticized the prison as a clear violation of human rights and a war crime.

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