12 Angry Lebanese: The Documentary

In Lebanon’s largest and most notorious prison, forty-five inmates participating in a production of Reginald Rose’s courtroom drama 12 Angry Men use the play as an opportunity to examine their own lives and decisions while preparing for their performance before a curious public. A fascinating study of artistic creation in a country where censorship controls have become increasingly rigid, 12 Angry Lebanese sensitively explores the personal stories of each of the men but finds its emotional core in Zeina Daccache, the play’s director and the sole woman amongst a population of convicted murderers, drug dealers and rapists, who attempts to use art to restore the men’s sense of humanity. —TIFF