A Community Collaborations event presented by GreenState Credit Union

Presented in partnership with the University of Iowa International Programs

Followed by a postshow conversation with Dr. Nada Melhem, Professor of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology in the Division of Health Professions, Medical Laboratory Sciences, at the American University of Beirut (AUB) and Dr. Rima Afifi Professor of Community and Behavioral Health at the University of Iowa and Director of the Prevention Research Center for Rural Health

"Part family drama, part political statement."—Roxana Hadadi, New York Magazine/Vulture

"Akl, making her directorial debut, takes resourceful advantage of her freedom as a filmmaker."—Glenn Kenny, RogerEbert.com

"A smart and sensitive film."—Austin Considine, New York Times

Costa Brava, Lebanon captures the joys and frustrations of a close-knit family with an intimacy that feels startlingly natural, and sets them against a sharply drawn backdrop of environmental crisis. In the not-so-distant future, the free-spirited Badri family have escaped the toxic pollution and social unrest of Beirut by seeking refuge in an idyllic mountain home. Without warning, the government starts to build a garbage landfill right outside their fence, intruding on their domestic utopia and bringing the trash and corruption of a whole country to their doorstep. As the landfill rises, so does tension in the household, revealing a long-simmering division between those family members who wish to defend or abandon the mountain oasis they have built. Mounia Akl’s stunning feature debut premiered at Venice and won major prizes at the Toronto and BFI London Film Festivals. Her unique gift with actors is evident in the sensitively realized performances she elicits from her cast, which includes award-winning filmmaker Nadine Labaki (Capernaum) and celebrated actor Saleh Bakri (The Band’s Visit, Walid).

This film presentation is one of three public events made possible by a Major Projects Award from UI International Programs. Funding for the Major Projects Award provided by the generous support of the Stanley-University of Iowa Foundation Support Organization and UI International Programs. Find all of Dr. Nada Melhem's public events on the Building Multidisciplinary Global Health Collaborations webpage.