In the early 1960s in Lebanon, Manoug Manougian, a professor of mathematics at Haigazian University and his students designed and launched rockets for the study and exploration of space. A short while later, the students joined researchers mobilized by the Lebanese space program but the program fell under the control of the Lebanese army. The Lebanese Rocket Society was born. With financing from the state, the design of rockets improved and were tested. Despite its success, the Lebanese Rocket Society stopped operating suddenly in 1967, the ambitious scientific project vanished from collective memory. The film relates the astonishing story of the The Lebanese Rocket Society in the first chapter, and in the second chapter, the film follows the filmmakers as they try to reconstruct one of the rockets, as a sculpture.

Written & Directed by: Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige; (Lebanon/France/Qatar)

JOANA HADJITHOMAS and KHALIL JOREIGE are Lebanese filmmakers and artists, who have directed several films together and created numerous photographic and video installations  shown in museums, biennials and art centers around the world. They are university teachers and board members of Metropolis Cinema and co-founders of Abbout Productions. Their films  have received international critical acclaim and won several awards. They include Al Bayt el Zaher (Around the Pink House, 1999), El Film el Mafkoud (The Lost Film, 2003), A Perfect Day (2005), Je veux voir (I Want to See, 2008), Khiam 2000- 2007 (2008), and Memory Box (2021).

The Carnegie Museum of Art in partnership with Row House Cinema presents the 58th Carnegie International Film Festival curated by Rasha Salti. The festival opens at Row House Cinema on Friday March 3 and runs through Sunday, March 11.   

—–Showtimes—–
The Lebanese Rocket Society: The Strange Tale of the Lebanese Space Race – 3/6/23 @ 9:10 pm