Falling Is Not Collapsing, Falling Is Extending (2016)

Marwa Arsanios’ video Falling Is Not Collapsing, Falling Is Extending is an investigation into the changing landscape of Beirut, the city where she lives and works. After the closure of a major municipal landfill site in 2015, thousands of tons of rubbish clogged the streets of Beirut. This led to public outcry, protests and accusations of government corruption. Since the 1990s, in the years following the end of the Lebanese Civil War, Beirut has been rapidly reshaped by property developers. Using strategically placed rubbish dumps, the surrounding land is devalued and left open for redevelopment. The aftermath of this process is the subject of the film, a portrait of a contested urban environment that connects the crisis with the city’s property boom.