Erased,___ Ascent of the Invisible

طِرسْ، _____رحلة الصعود إلى المرئيّ

Erased,___ Ascent of the Invisible (Tirss, Rihlat al Sou’oud ila al Mar’i)

Thirty-five years ago, I witnessed the kidnapping of a man I know.
He has disappeared since.
Ten years ago, I caught a glimpse of his face while walking in the street, but I wasn’t sure it was him.
Parts of his face were torn off, but his features had remained unchanged since the incident. Yet something was different, as if he wasn’t the same man.

Director Ghassan Halawani takes the viewer on a forensic paper chase, uncovering, layer by layer, the darkest chapters of Lebanese history on walls, in documents, and urban architecture.

^{essay-documentary, Lebanon 2018, color and black & white, 76 min, Arabic and English with English subtitles
Written and directed Ghassan Halwani | Editing Vartan Avakian | Assistant Director Tarek Mrad a.k.a. Goreing | Camera Ghassan Halwani, Inka Dewitz, Carine Doumit, Joan Chaker | Animation Ghassan Halwani | Sound recording Inka Dewitz, Ghassan Halwani | Sound design Toni Gitani, Rami Sabbagh | Foley Lama Sawaya (Db Studios) | Production Ghassan Halwani |
This film has benefited of the generous support of AFAC (Arab Fund for Arts and Culture), Mansion, The Post Office, Db Studios, and Public Works}

from the press
Halwani's exemplary structural intelligence and moral sophistication allows him to avoid the pratfalls of cinematic archivality: every minute counts. (Cinema Scope)
Erased is a powerful, thoughtful film on death, trauma, and nationhood. (Scene Creek)