Puff, inhale, exhale, repeat. When it comes to hashish, that’s all anyone really knows. Few, however, know anything about the process that leads to the manufacturing of Lebanese hash crops – the subject of a new short film by Beirut-born filmmaker, Jessy Moussallem.
However, Heart of Sky is not your typical drug documentary. Delving into the lives of the rural communities involved in Bekaa Valley’s illegal red hashish industry, mostly women and children, the film tackles the topic in a creative, quite artistic way, while retaining a necessary rawness. “The scenes were scripted around real people and real situations,” says Moussallem.
But it’s the scoring that really adds a unique element to the piece, which comes via British deep house staple, Damian Lazarus – as well as the dreamy vocals of The Ancient Moons – and his new album, also called Heart of Sky, which Moussallem leans on in picking and choosing tracks to elevate the unique story.
The end result is a 15 minute narrative video, with cinematic electronic sounds that emphasise the feelings evoked by the movie quite brilliantly. Watch below.
Heart of Sky from NOWNESS on Vimeo.
