Those Who Never Left

Laura continuously revisits the last night she spent in her family home. Her voice stirring ghosts, and a life she never truly left.

Director:
Pierre Mouzannar

Genre:
Drama

Year:
2025

Duration:
23 min

Rating:
13+

Country:
Lebanon

Language:
Arabic, French

Subtitling:
English

Screenplay: Pierre Mouzannar

Cast: Ada Harb, Hala Mouzannar, Luca Mouzannar, Bechara Mouzannar

Cinematography: Noah Leanti

Editing: Enzo Chanteux & Stéphanie Nassar

Production: Marianne Hidari

Awards: Special Mention -- 29th European Film Festival -- Beirut, Lebanon, 2025 | Ismailia International Film Festival -- Ismailia, Egypt, 2025

Début Status: Jordanian Première

Synopsis

Each night, Laura revisits the Beirut home she once fled. In the stillness of its dark, dust-covered rooms, her voice echoes; stirring memories long buried and tracing a life interrupted by exile. As fragments of the past form, absence and presence begin to bleed into one another, revealing a haunting echo of the life she once lived.

Director’s biography

Pierre Mouzannar (27) is a Lebanese filmmaker based in Beirut. He studied film in London, where he directed An Arabian Night as his thesis project. The short premiered at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in 2020, receiving a special mention, and was selected by festivals worldwide. His films include Caméra au Volant (2021), shown at La Première Fois in Marseille, and Those Who Never Left (2025), selected for the Ismailia International Film Festival and the European Film Festival in Beirut. As an editor, Pierre worked with internationally acclaimed artists such as Joanna Hadji Thomas, Khalil Joreige, Nadine Labaki, and Oscar-winning composer Gabriel Yared.