Philippe Aractingi to Asharq Al-Awsat: We have to stand in front of the mirror and ask where?
Long is the career of the Lebanese director Philippe Aractingi, in which he moved between television, photography and cinema, and he is one of those who did not repeat themselves because he derives his themes from the events of the hour. His films “Bosta” and “Under the Bomb” are clear examples of this. And at times he would dive into the metaphysical and soar in the world of imagination, as in “Listen.” Winner of many awards. He was able to produce and direct more than 50 feature films and documentaries. He is Vice President of the Screen Institute in Beirut. He is awarded the title of “chevaliers des arts et des lettres” by the French government.
Today, in a move that surprised many, Philippe Aractingi decided to stand on stage. Starting next June 15 at the “Mono Theater”, his play “It’s Time to Talk” will be shown. And through it, he will tell people the story of his colorful life with camera, image and music. It is not the first time that he has decided to confront time and turn its pages. In the movie “Inheritance”, he documented his story with immigration, in order to answer a question he heard a lot, “Should we stay or leave?”
Is the play a new stop he wanted with himself? He told Asharq Al-Awsat: “It is exactly that. I’ve had the idea for a while. And I wanted to communicate my point of view on the things I live, so storing accumulated experiences that need to be emptied from time to time. I love stories as much as any director and writer. Because I could not bring them all to light, I decided to present them in a new way.
Many wondered why Aractingi did not take this step in a movie, but he says: “There are many reasons that prevented me from doing so, especially since the cinema today has changed. The trend has become greater towards electronic platforms such as (Netflix), which has reduced securing the necessary financing. So we have to write what they want, not the other way around. Markets have also changed and become smaller and more confined. This story knocked on my door, and I only found the theater a place to host it, as I aspire.”
When Philip mentioned his idea to producer Josiane Boulos and director Lina Abyad, they encouraged him to do so. “They told me that I have very rich stories with an attractive content. So I was convinced of the idea, especially since I do not deviate from my main profession in it.
Scenes of the play “It’s Time to Talk” will follow clips and clips from about 30 cinematic films and successive shows that include music, photos and videos. “I will speak at times and remain silent at other times, so that recorded audio clips will come out with montage, music and voices. The play is also entertaining, in addition to the fact that it relies on visual and audio spectacles. Aractingi confuses the matter several times, and calls his play a “film”. “It is, in fact, a different kind of film, because my thinking is the same.”
Philippe Aractingi will stand alone on the stage to play his role with his assistant. “You’ll come with me without saying a word, you just help me pack my stuff, and that’s where the play begins.”
“Time to Talk” consists of 7 chapters, each with a title linked to an artistic language that the Lebanese film director is fluent in.
And he sees that on the stage he felt as if he was flying like a feather, or “rather, as if I had taken off myself.”
Anything that can contribute to the blurring of the scene. There is a bright, direct clarity and an intense feel. It is completely different from the cinema in which I told the stories I lived and others told me, and in those cases fantasy can mix with reality. As for the stage, the product is 100 percent real, and there is no lie in it. I look as I am without any addition or decrease. And it takes a lot of courage, not to say kind of crazy. The stage is dominated by the language of rhetoric, because speech is the basis even before cinema and sound.
This is how the idea of “the time has come to tell” and talk to oneself was born, because, according to Philip, “every person should put a mirror in front of him and ask himself where he is going and what is his dream?”
The Lebanese director says that since his beginnings, he has done different things. “At the age of 17, I decided to study directing and made photo reports and documentaries. Even when I was 20 years old, I asked to work on “LBCI” television, so my career was rich in cinematic films and travels that extended to the jungles of Africa, where I filmed documentaries about animals.
In the play, we will get to know Philippe Aractingi as we have never known him before. We discover his stories with love and his relationships with parents, and touching stations from his life stop us.
And the theater audience shares many other positions and stations from his professional career. “I think that if we share with each other as Lebanese, our union will grow and our identity will be confirmed. We need to get to know each other more, and tell our stories to each other from Ashrafieh to Dahiya to Jounieh and Kaslik, so we can develop our own culture. I have referred to this in more than one movie I have made. Distance contributes to making mistakes against each other. We are a kind and generous people and we fear the Lord of the Worlds from the ground up. I go through these things in the play and say them out loud: “We are still much better than others.”
The performance of the play “It’s Time to Talk” takes about 90 minutes, and is colored with storytelling, music, and video and musical clips. As he is packing his things in front of certain objects, he will recall the memory and tell us about it. “I have gone through different stages of my life since I failed in the second grade of primary school, going through piano lessons, my story with the camera, and others. Eventually, the audience will understand why you wanted to share all these things with them. I wanted to establish a new memory to go with it.”
A little dream that he kept for 6 years in the drawer of his closet and slept on his sheets until he knocked on his door. This is, in short, the story of Philippe Aractingi with the stage, when he jumped from the cinema to the stage. And through 6 giant screens that form a visual background for his appearance, we will get to know different artistic scenes. And what he describes as an achievement is the only one behind his writing, authoring, and filming his films. “We must not forget the great role played by director Lina Abyad. When I wrote down everything I did to mold it into a play that radiates rich content, permeated with wit, intimacy, and poignant stances.
