Rania Stephan

RIOT in 3 Movements

In the summer of 2015, Lebanon faced a sudden and unexpected garbage crisis that swept the country and called into question its public infrastructure. The government had demonstrated a dangerous degree of incompetence and inefficiency, exposing the country’s inhabitants to serious health hazards. Streets, rivers, the sea, and mountains were inundated with piles of garbage, resulting in severe pollution and health risks. In response, Lebanon’s inhabitants took to the streets and historic demonstrations raged for over a period of six months. They first appeared joyful, inventive, and gregarious demonstrations, until they were suppressed by the state through force and intimidation. Lassitude crept as internal divisions weakened and threatened the protest movement. To this day, no one took responsibility for the mismanagement of the crisis. Stephan’s documentary video RIOT in 3 Movements captures the final moments of these demonstrations and seeks to examine how bodies form in a space of contestation. It delves into the formation and dispersal of these bodies, their momentary individuality, and eventual disappearance–an opportunity to interrogate our fleeting victories and enduring defeats. Ultimately, the film serves as a reflection on montage and image-based mediation–by recording the movements of protesters on the street and analysing different gestures and effects with which they move in contested public spaces, Stephan draws a visual grammar for our collective engagement with acts of dissent. RIOT in 3 Movements highlights the power of collective consciousness in the face of state violence, questioning through montage how bodies can come to occupy public spaces and challenge the powers that be.