The Village is an independent homemade documentary that chronicles the history of the past century through the lives of the oldest residents of Roumieh, a small Lebanese village nestled in the hills overlooking Beirut.
These women and men, [many of whom are sadly no longer with us], lived through two World Wars, the fall of an empire, the occupation and liberation by foreign armies and survived a famine, to name just a few of the events that punctuated a tumultuous 20th century.
The iconic Jeddo Mike (Grandpa Mike), a dapper restaurateur who entertained ambassadors, world leaders and many others in his tiny, simple restaurant in the heart of Roumieh, leads us through the streets of his village, as we meet other residents of his generation who help us peel away the years and relive harder, yet simpler times.
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Monet Goode
FOUNDER
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Emmett Marsh
DESIGN DIRECTOR
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Eleanor Parks
SUSTAINABILITY DIRECTOR
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Jamie Kokot
CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER
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Karl Holland
SALES MANAGER
Hello
These senior residents of Roumieh recount the years of famine, the poverty in the mountains, the first TV in the village, the first car, the end of the Ottoman Empire, the British Army’s presence during WWII…
Like many other villages in the Lebanese mountains, Roumieh has undergone startling changes over the past century, as technology and the fast pace it imposes changed the social fabric of the community.
Yet, even today, this village continues to cling to some of its traditions, as the modernity that spreads from Beirut threatens to erase what is left of its distinctive way of life.
As we contemplate an end to the COVID-19 pandemic and many of us emerge from a period of introspection and re-evaluation of our priorities, The Village helps us understand what it takes to ensure that a community survives through incredible hardship, celebrating joy and surviving pain together.
Tour dates.
The Village premieres in a limited screening on August 18th 2021 in Roumieh, an event dedicated to the stars of the show, the senior residents of Roumieh.
It will also launch worldwide at the same time on YouTube.
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About The Director
In 2014, I started filming the oldest residents of Roumieh, my village in the hills overlooking Beirut, as an archival project to ensure that their stories are never forgotten.
I never got to meet most of my grandparents, save for my Teta Julie, who was an amazing storyteller and taught me so much about what life was like in Lebanon in the late 19th and 20th centuries.
I regretted not capturing her stories on film for posterity, and decided I wanted to capture the stories of her peers before it was too late: they carry in their memories a way of life that is disappearing, and I thought it important to immortalize this oral history for the sake of my generation and future generations.
I would spend days, sometimes weeks, in their company, following their daily routines in the hope of transmitting the most authentic account of how they lived their lives.
I had no intention of of making a movie out of it. But every time I would spend hours and days with one of these amazing individuals, they would invariably ask me when they could see the movie.
I became convinced that I owed it to them to compile the 50+ hours of footage into a film that celebrates the incredible lives these most valued citizens have lived.
In making The Village, I wanted to ensure that their stories and memories would not be forgotten by our generations. They fought hard to build our community, faced terrible adversity and moments of great joy and celebration, and did so together.
Today, as my country, Lebanon, goes through an existential crisis that threatens the very fabric of what our forebears have built, I find comfort in reliving the lives of our elders, a reminder that through community and with time, no challenge is insurmountable.