A night to support the Dream of Daizy Gedeon’s cinematic story of Lebanese hopes

“The dream is everything…Anything that inspires us, or motivates us, is a dream.” Film-maker Daizy Gedeon.

 (Translation appears in Arabic section)

Sep 2019

Sydney - M E Times Int'l: A fundraising function for director Daizy Gedeon’s new film The Dream Is Everything was held at Double Bay in Sydney. On the night, there was exclusive footage shot of the film which features interviews with Lebanese people, in the Lebanon and part of the worldwide Diaspora.

Part of the official guests

There were exclusive invitations and generous auction and raffle prizes offered on the night to help them continue the journey onto the world stage and cinema screens. The producers hope to enter the film in prestigious film festivals at Berlin, Sundance (US$ and even the academy awards (Oscars).

Ronny Mouawad the Co-Producer

…I’d just like to say that the project is very, very important; not just to me or to Daisy or to any person that’s in this room but to the importance of the Lebanese people. The Lebanese people that today are not in a good way. The Lebanese people that Daisy has interviewed, with over 200 hours of footage, over 250 interviews, are saying something; that we need help. And I couldn’t have thought of a better person to jump on this project and say ‘I’ll fly the flag’.  This remarkable woman kept on going and going and going… 

Rohr

Patrick Rohr the producer

Daizy, thank you for the opportunity of working with you to realise your dream. Without your vision and passion for this story, none of us would be here. I’m really so proud of what he have achieved so far and I know we still have a way to go but I think we’re going to end up with a film that we all be so immensely proud of and hopefully the Lebanese community will as well.

Joe Rizk the Managing Director and CEO of Arab Bank Australia.

First up, we’ve heard a lot about the passion and the drive and the initiative and the collection of a team by Daisy… I’ve known Daisy for a number of decades … but I assure you that passion existed back then. And when she approached me about two-and-a-half years ago with the initial vision of this particular production _ you know, it was quite obvious that passion was still strong; the passion for Lebanon was well articulated. And what a fabulous title _ Dream. Everyone of us that’s got connections with Lebanon, those that have been back recently, those who were born here, those that have grandchildren here but have connections with Lebanon…dream of Lebanon. They don’t only just think of Lebanon but they dream of Lebanon.

Rizk

“The Lebanese survive and they survive because they dream…for a better tomorrow.” Joe Rizk Managing Director and CEO of Arab Bank Australia

And that’s what actually keeps Lebanon going… with all of the difficulties and the upsets that we have seen over the decades … nothing new to that. It’s been happening for the last 4000-plus years. But the Lebanese survive and they survive because they dream … they dream for a better tomorrow. They’re positive – we can all look at the negatives so I assure you it’s the positives that keep us going. And that’s what we need to focus on and this is what Daisy’s focused on. Those simple messages that people she interviewed… the simple message that came across from their interview was to want the basics for Lebanon. They weren’t looking at individual wealth. They weren’t looking at individual wealth, they didn’t say ‘I want to create more wealth for myself’ or ‘I want to compound it’, ‘I want my kids to go to the best of schools’ and that, it wasn’t an element of greed. It was an element of basic values and that’s what the Lebanese are capable of. And if you look at Australian contributions people like Daisy made, not just to Lebanon but to Australia, it’s because they’re proud of their heritage; they’re proud of what they have behind and it’s not baggage, I assure you. When you look at your heritage, it’s actually all those goodies that sit in that bag. They come out from time to time and says to a broader Australian community that we are proud Australians, but God we’re also proud Lebanese.

So I want to say thank you to Daisy; if we don’t support Daisy in an event like this, with her production, we’re not supporting our children. We’re not supporting our grandchildren. And I assure you, from someone who is about to become a grandfather shortly, I am a proud sponsor and I look at this as an investment for all Australians who’ve got a proud link with Lebanon. But it’s also the Australians who are going to visit Lebanon because of this. The other side of it is we have got Lebanese throughout the world who are going to see this production and will open their hearts to the Lebanon. And that’s going to be a great achievement.

Daizy Gedeon the Film-maker

Three-and a half, four days into it (the script) and I didn’t even know what my title was. I kept asking myself what it (the film) was about and it was… the dream. It came into my head – the dream.

“The dream is everything…Anything that inspires us, or motivates us, is a dream.” Film-maker Daizy Gedeon.

The dream is everything. It always is, isn’t it? Anything that inspires us, or motivates us, is a dream. And sometimes we do it, sometimes we chase it, sometimes we ignore it and unfortunately, if you ignore your dream you suffer. I then had, like, this download from God …

The Dream is not about Lebanon; the Dream is not just for Lebanon. The Dream is for everyone. This is the universal message; by the end of the film it will be clear it is everyone’s dream. It’s about all of our dreams. Everyone’s got these issues… they’re not unique to Lebanon. But unfortunately what is Lebanon’s predicament is that it’s tiny; it’s 4 million people, it’s a tiny piece of land. A large country like Australia can absorb problems… we have institutions, we have structures. Lebanon next year actually turns 100. It’s still a very young, independent country. So this message, and its journey, is really important for the Diaspora.

Lorraine Tarabay (member of the Director’s Circle)

The arts are something close to my heart, whether it’s the visual arts, the performing arts, theatre, dance, music, film making, literature, poetry or philosophy. The arts are at the heart of culture of a society. The arts bring people together and break down barriers.

Lebanon is a country that historically has had a legacy rich in the arts, particularly prior to the break-out of civil war. We have our famous poets and philosophers such as Khalil Gibran, painters such as Etel Adnan and of course the Baalbeck International Festival which was globally renowned in the 1950s and ‘60s – it had an important cultural, touristic and socio-economic impact on Lebanon.

Lebanon and the Lebanese have been distracted since the 1970s from their rich culture of the arts, as the focus has necessarily shifted to stability and economic survival. There is limited, if any, philanthropic support of the arts in Lebanon (the economic situation hasn’t allowed it). The Lebanese diaspora, however, are in a position to support artistic projects of Lebanese artists (both those living in Lebanon and the Lebanese living outside of Lebanon).

It is only through the support of the Lebanese diaspora such as ourselves in the room that Lebanon can fulfil its potential and my dream of a renaissance of the arts and cultural scene in Lebanon. It’s an important and rich part of our identity and heritage.

I hope you will all consider joining me in becoming a member of the Director’s Circle for

“This film is about the hope of the Lebanese. Lorraine Tarabay”

Daizy’s film “The Dream is Everything” or support in any way you can. It’s important support for a Lebanese film maker creating a film that will change the global perception of Lebanon and the Lebanese. The famous artist Gerhardt Richter said “Art is the Highest Form of Hope”. This film is about the hope of the Lebanese.