An Internationalist Cinema that Travels
Since the 1970s, Jocelyne Saab’s films have circulated widely, broadcast on major French television channels such as France 2, France 3, TF1, and ARTE, as well as on international networks including NBC in the United States, NHK in Japan, RAI in Italy, and ZDF in Germany. Her documentaries were regularly selected for festivals in Europe and around the world, and several of her films—Le Liban dans la tourmente (1975), Égypte, la cité des morts (1977), and Le Sahara n’est pas à vendre (1977)—were released in cinemas in Paris.
From her first fiction feature Ghazl Al Banat, selected for the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes in 1985, to Dunia, which competed at Sundance in 2005 and became a cult film in the Arab world, Saab’s work has continued to find audiences across continents and generations.
A Renewed Presence Since 2019
Since the creation of the Jocelyne Saab Association in 2019, the circulation of her work has gained new momentum. Through extensive restoration work and active programming, her films now reach audiences who had never had the opportunity to discover them.
Restored films have been presented at numerous retrospectives and screenings worldwide, including DocLisboa (2019), the Cinémathèque québécoise (2022), and “The Second Encounter” at Metropolis in Beirut (2023). The first complete retrospective in France was held in Paris and Marseille in 2023–2024, coinciding with the release of the DVD box set Jocelyne Saab cinéaste (1974–1982) and the book Le livre pour sortir au jour de Jocelyne Saab.
In 2024, Anthology Film Archives in New York dedicated a retrospective to her films, programmed by Kaleem Hawa in collaboration with ArteEast. Retrospectives have also been held at the Divan in Berlin (2023), One World Romania (2023), and in 2025 at the Subversive Festival in Zagreb (Untamed Memory), as well as retrospectives at Cosmos in Strasbourg and “In the Sights of Jocelyne Saab” in 2025–2026.
Exhibitions
Jocelyne Saab’s photographic and installation work has been exhibited in numerous venues internationally during her lifetime. In 2007, her first video installation Strange Games and Bridges was presented at the National Museum of Singapore, and her photographs were shown at art fairs in Abu Dhabi and Beirut.
Recent exhibitions dedicated exclusively to her work include a tribute at MaCaM (Modern and Contemporary Art Museum in Alita) in Lebanon called Jocelyne Saab Against the Tide (2018), an exhibition at SOMA in Marseille (2024), and Gardens of War at the Subversive Festival in Zagreb (2025), which showcased her archives and visual work.
Her work has also featured in group exhibitions. In 2022–2023, Allô Beyrouth? was held at Beit Beirut. The exhibition brought together artists, researchers, and journalists to explore Beirut’s history and memory. In 2024, Présences arabes. Art moderne et décolonisation. Paris 1908-1988 at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (April 5 to August 25, 2024) included Jocelyne Saab’s work alongside more than 130 artists and 200 works, exploring Paris’s role as a crossroads for Arab avant-garde movements in the 20th century.
A Living Legacy
From the 1970s to today, Jocelyne Saab’s films have continued to travel, shaped by the dedication of those who ensure her work remains a living document. The work of the Jocelyne Saab Association—through restoration, programming, and publishing—has been central to this renewed circulation, bringing Saab’s cinema to new audiences in Lebanon, Europe, North America, and beyond.