Business, tourisme et kalachnikov : les mille visages de Beyrouth
Beirut, May 2010. A convoy of four armoured cars crosses the city at high speed. Same model, same color, same license plates. The four vehicles are absolutely identical, except for the stripe. Inside, one of Lebanon's most threatened men, MP Sami Gemayel.
Travel is not very frequent. We try as much as possible to be a little invisible. The whole point is that no one knows what car am I in.
Not to show himself because the young Sami, 29 years old, is the last of the Gemayel dynasty, a large Christian family from Lebanon targeted by attacks. Five of them paid with their lives, all very young. His brother Pierre, Minister of Industry. His uncle Bashir, president of Lebanon. His cousins Emmanuel, Amine, and even a little girl, his cousin Maya.
This morning, Sami goes to the headquarters of the Kataeb party, the Christian Falangist party of which he is one of the leaders. Right in the center of Beirut, the place is particularly secure. The danger is permanent for the young deputy. We are forbidden to film the office because it must not be localized. Sami's bodyguard is always on alert. Bassam is the person I trust the most.
And he decided to put his life and my life in collision. If we jump, we both jump. This is to announce the exact time that the meeting is about to begin.
And when he enters the room, everyone stands up. Sami is the grandson of the founder of the Kataeb party. In the Gemayel family, men are involved in politics. They are nationalists and fierce activists of the independence of Lebanon.
Sami Gemayel has always opposed to pressure from Syrian neighbors on his country. His positions make him a prime target terrorists. Are we ready to sacrifice everything for our country? It's a decision I made and I bear the consequences. And I am convinced of my decision. I don't do it... I think that without it, my life has no meaning anymore.
In a neighboring office, Bassam, Sami's security chief, prepares the next move from his boss. Because it is especially in cars that they take risks. When the two cars arrive at the intersection, the convoy will have to be reversed. Let the car in front pass behind. The slightest movement here is subject to maximum precautions.
The 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri is still in everyone's mind. A bomb attack in the center of Beirut. About twenty people were killed. Most of them were part of the convoy. Was Hariri Betrayed? by one of the men ensuring his safety? Today, in any case, bodyguards are recruited from the very close entourage. My whole team is a team of friendship, of childhood.
We lived together, we went out together, we danced together, we played football together. We decided to make this team for Sami's safety. They are very proud to give their lives for Sami. He is their brother, and more than their brother. They live with him as much as they live at home with their family. There is still a neighborhood where Sami and his bodyguards can walk more or less freely.
This is the area of the Lebanese Parliament. A sector under very high surveillance. Cars are not allowed to enter and there are systematic searches at the entrance. This is a secure sector.
because all the parliamentarians and ministers come here. So they need to secure this place. Access to the four streets leading to Parliament is strictly controlled by special forces of the police and the army. A dam that cannot be crossed than authorized persons. Despite this deployment of forces, Sami remains very surrounded.
At the door of the restaurant where he has an appointment, Bassam and his men are watching. We separate, we move away from him so that we can monitor the places, to see if there are any abnormal things or if there is something risky. And there, you are not armed? -Yes, we are armed.
Where is your weapon? -It's here, next door. She's over there. But we can't show her. But once in the place, Sami does not hesitate to transgress safety rules.
He wants to sit near the window. Victor, his chief of staff, is worried. He's near the window. I'd rather he was inside.
I know he needs some air too, so it's okay. Always when I see the sun, I feel freer. Which is quite rare because we are always between four walls.
So I always enjoy when I come here to walk a little in the sun. 6 p.m., Sami and his men still have to cross all of Beirut to go to the heights of the city, to Bikfaya.
It has been the fiefdom of the Gemayel since the 16th century. Bikfaya is a territory which is very well known to our security. We know every car, we know every house, we know people's habits.
Which means that when we are there, we feel much safer than in Beirut. Sami comes here every Sunday. He likes to find the family atmosphere there. There is also the memory of his brother Pierre, MP and minister, assassinated in 2006.
It is his sister who welcomes Sami. His mother always sees him arrive with relief. After the death of his eldest son, his life changed.
We have given a lot, we continue and we will not give up. But it's not easy. It cancels family life, children. It's a big debate between me and myself which exists and which will exist, I think, for some time. You don't see yourself as a father at the moment.
I have too many responsibilities right now. That's one more, one too many. I'm scared for him and I'm proud of him. Is it difficult for you on a daily basis? I try not to think about it too much thanks to God. Beirut is a city marked by successive wars and hundreds of attacks.
It is also a dynamic and modern city in a country that exceeds 8% annual growth, This is much more than in Europe. The capital of Lebanon has two faces today. The first is that of creative entrepreneurs and looking to the future. Like Mazen who makes a 100% Lebanese beer.
It is so successful that he wants to export it. The positive side in Lebanon, there are a lot of uncertainties, but there are many more opportunities than anywhere else in the world. Or like Tony who wants to forget the conflicts between Christians and Muslims to open and develop luxury boutiques.
Here, we live among Christians and Muslims, we work. When there is a Christian holiday, the working Muslim and vice versa. And that gives us a wonderful balance. But the other face of Beirut is that of poverty and radical Islam. In the overcrowded Palestinian camps where only frustration and despair progress. Or even in the neighborhoods in the hands of Hezbollah.
A party that sometimes praises suicide bombers. Mohamed, the merchant, is thus ready to sacrifice his entire family. I have five daughters and one son. Wish my son becomes a martyr and that my daughters follow in his path.
My wife and I, too, we are ready to die. Lebanon is on a powder keg because it is stuck between two hostile invading neighbors, Syria and Israel. All Lebanese have experienced war.
First, the one from 1975, which lasted about fifteen years, a civil war which left 150,000 dead. Beirut was completely destroyed. Then, in July 2006, a lightning war between Hezbollah and Israel. Lebanese Islamist neighborhoods are bombed by Israeli aircraft. 1200 civilians are killed.
Beirut is also nicknamed the city that never dies despite destruction and conflicts. For the great fashion designer Basile Soda, the Lebanese always find the energy to get by, to rebuild. If there is war, we must resist in one way or another, survive as usual and start again.
And I believe these are Lebanese customs. Surviving a war. This man is one of the biggest entrepreneurs in Beirut. Starting from nothing 20 years ago, Tony Salamé buys up buildings and doorsteps one by one to transform them into luxury boutiques.
We opened Chloe and there, Yves Saint-Laurent, it's for June. And next door, Balenciaga is opening in two or three days, you will see. And there, it's the Jimmy Choo store which you will see opening soon.
His latest project, a six-story department store entirely dedicated to prestige brands. There, it's the luxury zone. There will be luxury jewelry, jewelry and all leather goods, crocodile bags. The top floor will be luxury shoes. It's a floor. Women realize their dreams here.
It's sometimes 50 pairs of shoes sold to a single customer in 30 minutes. Instead of the walls, he pushed it right back there. He created the furniture. -It's a continuity. That's very good.
Do you think we'll be ready in time? If all goes well, yes, we will meet the deadlines. The beautiful thing here is that Beirut is unstable. So it's a challenge. You have to take it up every day. We must not stop if we are going to live in fear and that Beirut is unstable and the region is unstable. We do nothing.
It has been noted that, on the contrary, when you believe in it, people will believe in it too. Foreigners are the same. So we must not stop. And there, our architects and engineers work 24 hours a day. And so, little by little, the whole street was transformed. 20 years ago, this is what she looked like. Today, this downtown district has become one of the most expensive in Beirut.
It's the meeting place for Lebanese women who love fashion modern and trendy. Women who also appreciate these pedestrian, elegant streets and French architecture, early 20th century. Here, the crisis is not slowing down business. The luxury market is growing by 15% per year in Lebanon. Since he started, nothing stops Tony in his investments, not even war. In July 2006, when the Israelis begin to bomb the south of the country, thousands of frightened Lebanese flee Beirut and even Lebanon.
Tony, he, stays to finish his work. The work was done during the war and it allowed us to dig the shop downstairs, to have a ceiling height of three meters, to lower the basement by more or less 50 cm. It was one of the projects that we did during the July War, because we could work freely without disturbing anyone, because Beirut was deserted.
Tony is not just an investor looking to attract the big brands in his country. He himself oversees the management of all his stores. The corner over there needs to be better lit, on both sides. You have to remove the winter, it's good. And the shoes, send them to HT. Good day. Ciao.
I experienced the war in Beirut. Whenever there was a war, people started the next day to renovate the buildings, to redecorate. And no one has this will. I have never seen a people who have this will to bounce back.
The war that marked all Lebanese and the youth of Tunis and the civil war of 1975. It lasted 15 years. At the time, Tony was a student. He takes us to his university. There are still bullet marks. But here, there have been two or three times Francs-Tireurs who killed or targeted students.
There was panic because they had to be saved. We couldn't get close. Right here at the entrance. And it was from these buildings that they were shooting and the army came to retaliate when we were shopping. It was the amphitheater and the army came with tanks to retaliate. In class, we could hear almost everything. We couldn't move anymore. We had to calm the sniper
time to take the cars back from the parking lot. It gave us a bit of adrenaline, it excited us when there was a bombing nearby, a military intervention. For us it was like a big event. There is something going on. It's a little crazy, but that's how it is.
While north of Beirut, Christians are striving to erase the scars of war, south of the city, In the Hezbollah square, we live in permanent tension. The Islamists of the Shiite party hold the entire sector. They are considered the armed wing of Iran and Syria in Lebanon. It is impossible to enter this area without special permission. As soon as we arrived, we were surrounded by militiamen on motorcycles and constantly monitored. On every street corner, children riding bicycles spy on strangers.
Here they are called informers. As soon as we got out of the car, a guard forbade us from filming. We are Hezbollah soldiers and most of us live here.
Don't film because Israel might recognize our buildings and bomb us. And if the distrust is so strong, it is because of the war of July 2006. For over a month, the Israeli air force bombed this Muslim neighborhood.
This war between Hezbollah and Israel left 1,200 dead in Lebanon. For four years, the landscape has resembled a gigantic construction site. Hezbollah rebuilds to attract popular support. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been poured here, mainly from Iran. Mohamed ran a curtain shop destroyed by Israeli aircraft. Hezbollah sympathizer, he wants to show us the extent of the damage.
This was my shop. Tell me what we did wrong for Israel to bomb us and destroy our lives. And Mohamed wants to show us the building he lives in today with his wife, his son and his five daughters. The building is brand new.
Here again, the reconstruction was entirely funded by Hezbollah. Are you there? Put up your sails, cover yourself. There are men with me. And we discover a luxurious apartment with all modern comforts.
Mohamed and his family live in 150 square meters. The kitchen is brand new. As a good father, Mohamed wants to show us that he participates in household chores under the amused eye of his eldest daughter. For four years, due to lack of a store, Mohamed no longer works. His entire family is supported by Hezbollah.
First of all, it is thanks to God that we found ourselves here. But it is also thanks to our leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah. Let's go to the living room.
And our guards are always there to watch over us. In the middle of the room, Mohamed has installed a portrait of Hezbollah leader Sheikh Nasrallah. He worships him. I can't find words to express what this man represents to me.
Mohamed's family was particularly affected by Israeli strikes. Three people died. Three, my brother, his wife and their baby.
Continuing the visit, Mohamed takes us to his daughters' room. Computer, television, cell phone, they have access to all modern means of communication. And if Mohamed allows us to film his daughters, This is to prove his loyalty to Hezbollah. A loyalty that goes as far as sacrifice.
Whoever dies for Hezbollah will go straight to heaven. I have five daughters and one son. I wish my son to become a martyr and that my daughters follow his path.
As for my wife and I, we are also ready to die. His daughter, what does she think? Does she agree? Ask him yourself. I would be so proud. Would you really be ready to die for Hezbollah? Of course. -Yes? Yes.
You too, would you be ready to die if necessary? Yes, I'm ready. To what? -To become a martyr. You're not afraid? -No, I'm not afraid. How old are you? -13 years old. Reprehensible remarks which say a lot about the hatred cultivated against Israel and the brainwashing of which these children are victims.
Hezbollah maintains the cult of martyrdom. Everywhere in the streets, posters celebrate their memory. Officially, Hezbollah is a political movement, but it has a strong armed militia of 9000 men. Hezbollah is on the list terrorist organizations from several Western countries, including the United States.
Far from threats, a few kilometers further north, This is Beirut by Night. It is a myth throughout the Middle East. Between the seaside and the city center, a collection of trendy bars, restaurants and open-air nightclubs. With the beautiful days, the season starts in the famous sky bars, on roofs of buildings. Chic and glamorous appointments.
Here there are Christians and Muslims who enjoy the evenings together. Far from religious hatred, they would like Beirut to become the pearl of the Orient again modern and dynamic. In one of the most famous bars, La Centrale, we find Mazen, a young Muslim entrepreneur.
His business, beer and customers are not far away. Yes, this is my beer. 100% Lebanese home-made. It was named 961. It is the telephone code for Lebanon. Mazen and his friends then go to B18, a world-famous nightclub for its sunroof which opens directly onto the road.
The next morning, Mazen arrives at his brewery. He has just received his new tanks for more industrial production. Because Mazen started four years ago in a very artisanal way and under the bombs. We started with this tank. We were making beer in my kitchen. It was July 2006, when Israel was bombing us. It seems crazy when you are in a country under the bombs, besieged, to create a business and make beer.
People told us that we were completely crazy. Yes, maybe. But I, I love Lebanon, I love this country. And if we all flee Lebanon, there will be nothing left. Today, the challenge for Mazen is to make a beer with only Lebanese products. With barley grown in the region, and with hop flowers.
A real challenge because this plant grows in temperate regions. Theoretically, Lebanon is too far south. However, Mazen has succeeded in a first harvest.
Do you feel that? It's beautiful. It's incredible to have grown hops in Lebanon. At the beginning, when the Germans were told that we wanted to grow hops here, they called their experts, and their lab said: Impossible, it will never happen. When we made our first harvest, we sent some to the German lab for analysis. This hop is of better quality, with better fragrance and antioxidant molecules even higher than in German hops. Mazen's business is doing well.
300,000 bottles last year and 5 million planned for this year. His ambition now is to export his beer to Europe and North America. Most people who get up in the morning hate their jobs. I love it. The next day, Mazen comes to have lunch in this organic restaurant the trendiest in town with his friend Rania and Kamal Mouzawak, restaurant owner and very famous chef.
They are both Christians. The chef supplies his buffet with local products. Kamal, you put flowers in the salad today. It's mustard and coriander. The yellow flowers of mustard and the white flowers of coriander. And it is Mazen, the Muslim entrepreneur, who supplies the beer.
This is not surprising for a Muslim. to brew beer and even drink it? Or is it accepted in Lebanon? I wouldn't say it's strange. Simply, it is not common in Lebanon. It's not so revolutionary because in this country, there is such a mix of cultures and religions that here you can do anything. That's the advantage.
At first, he was told that it was madness to take on the beer giant. It's not a question of religion. No, it has nothing to do with religion. But I was told, you are a small producer, you're going to do everything by hand, it will be very expensive. How do you want to compete with the big industrialists on the market? I was never told, you are not of the right religion to produce beer. Mazen's friend Rania lives in an old Christian neighborhood popular with its small traders and artisans.
Today, it is a neighborhood that is transforming and attracts more and more artists. Rania knows every nook and cranny. It's open. All these villas belong to an old English lady, Lady Cochrane, who bought these houses. She doesn't sell them, she rents them.
And there are quite a few people who live here. Twice a week, I go to his place. Thank you Mr. Ali. Thanks. A banana? -No Rania lived abroad for several years.
She thought she would leave like the 7 million Lebanese emigrated all over the world. I almost left two years ago. I got a job offer in London in a great magazine.
And I decided to stay and start my own business. And here is his box. It's a bookstore. She is currently enjoying great success in Beirut. The customers are rather young, educated and they come from all over Lebanon.
Because here you can buy books that you can't find anywhere else. Rania offers works of art, photography, architecture and design, as well as magazines. There are no places like this here. So that feels good. It reminds a bit of Parisian bookstores. which are more oriented towards art and architecture, which are very targeted.
But when we look a little higher, There are other books on the shelf. The naughty section is at the top, a bit robbed lately. The choice to put it on top is also to hide it.
There are some books that did not pass the censorship. It's "The Secret Life of Syrian Lingerie" which sold like hotcakes. This is a book that shows all the naughty lingerie which are sold in the souks in Damascus and it's quite funny.
Lingerie mannequins. I find this book to be exceptional. All works arriving in Lebanon must go through censorship.
It is exercised by a special commission from the Ministry of Information. She can ban books or cut out certain passages. And the criteria used are quite specific. How do they censor? For example, Playboy is allowed, but the Playboy can only be sold in opaque bags. This is very weird.
Playboy is accepted in Lebanon, but the Hustler is not accepted in Lebanon. Because there are reports and there are male organs. Female organs, they don't mind.
A male organ, it's a disaster. Lebanese society is not necessarily puritanical, but censorship is puritanical. So they censor everything that is sexual. Religion, when there is a photo, a cross next to a naked woman, So that's a disaster. Topics that deal with Israel are often censored. So religion, politics and sex.
Between East and West. Beirut is a multicultural city with its charm and its contradictions. It has also become a fashion capital.
Basile Soda is the rising couturier in Lebanon. Every week, we do a fitting to see. It gives a little good energy at work. Basile created his brand nine years ago. Her dresses are embroidered, encrusted with jewels and metal.
The designer is passionate about architecture and he likes symmetry. He trained with the famous Elie Saab, first couturier of Lebanon, to shine throughout the world. For two years, Basile Soda has also entered the big leagues. Her spectacular dresses dress Hollywood stars. That was a dress we made for a celebrity Hemingway. This again was worn by Emily Blunt in Elton John's evening.
Or actress Dana Delany. Singers Katy Perry and Paula Abdul. Aside from the red carpets, Basile Soda has kept his first customers very wealthy. At the beginning, when I started, it was most of the Gulf countries, because there are no more people who wear couture during the day and during the evening. How much is a dress like this worth? That's, I think, about $10,000. Basile now wants to attract new customers with ready-to-wear.
He will launch his first collection in the fall. Anthony, come. This is not good here. Put it like this.
In this company, in the image of modern Lebanon, Christians and Muslims work together. Basil is a practicing Christian. What is this, Basil? You know, we are in an Easter period, Lent. So every day, in about 7 hours, we do a little... It's not a ceremony. It's a bit of an energy. Good morning energy.
This is a dress that costs... I think it's $55,000. It's a wedding dress. So it has to be delivered on time. What will you do if Beirut airport is closed tomorrow? No. Customers are more certain than we are that we can do it. They know very well that we will find a way to deliver the dress. Basile Soda could easily settle elsewhere.
But for him, living in Beirut is a commitment. For me, living in Beirut is a necessity, a need. But it's not a question of whether I want to stay here or not. That's life.
Life for me is to continue in Beirut. And my expansion, it will be through Beirut for other countries. And when they organize parades abroad, like here in Paris, Basile Soda is also an ambassador of a certain idea of Lebanon. Far from the glitter, but only a few kilometers away from Basile Soda's workshop, the other face of Lebanon.
Heading to a Palestinian camp south of Beirut. 500,000 Palestinians are settled in Lebanon, spread over a dozen camps like this one. Aïn El-Héloué, a real powder keg. To enter, you have to pass several checkpoints.
First those of the Lebanese army, then the controls by the Palestinians. This camp is a closed enclave. Nobody comes in, almost nobody goes out.
And here, everyone carries a gun. More than 80,000 people live here, crammed into dilapidated buildings. 80% of the population lives below the poverty line.
In this market, the stalls are almost empty. The traders are short of everything. Work is not going well, especially for Palestinians. We are not allowed to go outside. We all work in the camp. I am a welder, but I have to do several jobs to live and I sell vegetables.
I earn barely $5 a day. What do you want to do with this? Palestinians in Lebanon have no rights. No passport, no social protection, no access to elections and no freedom of movement. In this camp, the only law is that of the strongest. Weapons are circulating en masse.
More than a dozen factions are competing for power. The two most powerful groups are Hamas and Fatah. This man who arrives is Colonel Abou Ahmed. He is the head of the armed wing of Fatah. He is at the head of nearly a thousand men.
The colonel is permanently protected by bodyguards armed with brand new American assault rifles. He almost got assassinated four times on this same route. You know, it's quiet right now, but you never know. Abou Ahmed wants to show us that he is an undisputed leader. He takes us on his daily tour to the locals.
Here security has become everyone's concern and we will make all the necessary efforts to guarantee this security to all. Colonel Abou Ahmed wants to show us a center for the disabled protected by his men. On the surface, the place is quiet. This is where one of his assistants was shot a few months ago. Like all the men of Fatah created by Yasser Arafat, The colonel is secular and nationalist. And his main enemy, it's that other Palestinian in a suit, a radical Islamist leader of Hamas, the religious party.
His name is Fadhol Taha and wants to impose Koranic law throughout the camp. He also runs the local television channel. It broadcasts videos of wars and kamikaze actions on a loop.
Objective, to recruit the youngest. We broadcast the actions of our heroes, either attacks committed by our martyrs, or commando operations against the enemy. It is with these images of our heroes that we implant the love of Palestine in the hearts of our children. This is how we push them to join the resistance. At prayer time, Fadhol Taha goes to the mosque and he does not carry any weapons.
He is a man whom everyone fears and he knows it. The majority of our people are Muslims. There is a real awakening of Islamic consciousness. Today, there are six mosques whereas before, there were only three. As Fadhol Taha chats with his supporters, a strange character arrives at the mosque.
He is also a Palestinian, head of an Islamist organization linked to Al Qaeda. Considered dangerous, this man, Abou Tariq, is wanted by Western secret services. But this camp is also his home. His organization, Osbat al-Ansar, is listed as a terrorist by the United Nations. The two men go to prayer together. At the exit of the Abu Tariq mosque, the Palestinian leader linked to Al-Qaeda, appears alongside the Hamas leader.
I came to pray in your Mosque. Do you have a problem if we are filmed together? No, not at all. Let's go. He decides to grant us a joint interview hand in hand. The whole troop heads towards the Hamas offices.
Abou Tariq is surrounded by his bodyguards, armed with Kalashnikovs. They fought in Iraq alongside Al-Qaeda. The whole interview will take place under the threat of their weapons. Before starting, the two men consult each other. This is French television.
I need to clarify the situation. because our image abroad is very bad. All the media are against us, especially the Western media. The Islamist factions of the camp want to look good and show their unity. They have only one common enemy, Israel and the United States.
Even if there remains a small divergence. From a religious point of view, there is no difference between us and Hamas. We all want to liberate Jerusalem, but there are positions that Hamas cannot adopt. For example, I went to fight the Americans in Iraq. Hamas agrees in principle.
Except that they don't go there. But this is not the time for controversy. The main thing is the image. That'll make a nice picture. -Yes, that's right. If the Zionist enemy decides to attack Lebanon again, we will be in the resistance and we will not be the only ones.
There will also be the group of Abu Tariq Osbat al-Ansar and other resistance movements. We will defend Lebanon and our people. You sent men to fight in Iraq. What does the image of Osama Bin Laden represent for you? Stop spinning, that's enough, we're leaving.
The interview is cut short. Abu Tariq's men don't like the question and threaten us with their weapons before leaving the premises. But we have evidence that al-Qaeda militants are installed in this camp. Much misery, weapons in circulation, fighters close to Bin Laden. The situation in the Palestinian camps can set Lebanon ablaze at any time.
However, this country is once again becoming a major tourist destination. With nearly 2 million visitors last year, Beirut breaks attendance records. They come from the Gulf countries, from America and even from Europe. Philomène and Jean-Michel are accountants. They wanted to discover Beirut, despite the warnings from all their friends.
And they are amazed every moment. I didn't imagine that all neighborhoods were like this. And when we arrive, that's all that's left.
There are few buildings that are ravaged. We see very few of them. Everything is new and I think I don't know... Maybe they want to get rid of the whole memory. Hey, look, it's the same here too. He's riddled with bullets. Despite the impressive presence of police and military in the city, Jean-Michel is not worried.
Terrorism, no I'm not afraid of that. I feel safe. Honestly, I don't want to... What did your friends tell you when you came here? They said Lebanon equals war. There is no more war for now, we just passed a building completely riddled with bullets. We're getting to this point. It's almost like cinema.
The Hariri Mosque, It is one of the symbols of the rebirth of Beirut. Jean-Michel and his group then head towards the museum. More than 1300 pieces covering 10,000 years of history. Vestiges of the great civilizations that have marked Lebanon. Phoenician, Greek, Roman, Persian, Christian and Arab.
During the civil war, these works were locked up in concrete sarcophagi to protect them from bombs and looting. At the entrance to the museum, a short film shows the opening of these sarcophagi after years of conflict. Impressed, Jean-Michel asks for explanations to his guide Habib. Fortunately, because otherwise, we would have lost all this heritage.
During the war, there was a lot of looting, people who have appropriated this to resell it to other markets as well. It is lately that Lebanon has begun to understand the value of tourism and the value and the importance of all these monuments and statues. And now we are making people aware. Be careful because it can create jobs for you, it can create a lot of things for you as we have seen, and I think it's getting better, it's getting better and better, fortunately. Bringing in foreigners, tourists, but also prestige brands, like Tony Salamé does. This morning, he is opening one of these new luxury boutiques.
An event for the city center. The great English brand which is setting up shop the stars of the TV series Sex and the City. Shoes and accessories. From the opening, the high society women of Beirut rush to buy snake sandals over 800 euros, bags at 900 euros. For the occasion, CEO Joshua Schulman made the trip from London. We are happy because Joshua came ten years ago.
The center of Beirut had nothing yet in the city center. And now I believe that he is the witness of this evolution for ten years. Tony was truly a visionary. He dreamed of what Beirut would become. He knew how to bring luxury there.
As with each of its inaugurations, Tony does things in a big way. He organized a lunch in the sun for his hand-picked guests. His wife Elam takes care of the guests.
Tony invested in French gastronomy, a guarantee of quality for him. We have the boss who is here. He is a French chef. Look at the French rigor.
The dishes, the plates. I hope he doesn't get too upset about the installation. He likes to install a kitchen. This chef, Franck Paulmier, was hired year-round by Tony. He worked in the greatest restaurants in Paris. He is worried about the guests.
This is a clientele that travels a lot, frequents palaces and very large establishments across the world. Obviously, when she arrives here, there are demands. They expect something. You can't serve just anything. Thanks to Tony and his wife for this lunch.
We are really proud to be here. Tony is satisfied. In three weeks, he is due to open another luxury boutique in this neighborhood. Back home, on the heights of Beirut, He enjoys his success in peace. From his terrace, he saw Beirut change, the buildings grow a little everywhere. We came here ten years ago.
There were no buildings, we could see the sea better. Besides, we are building 50 meters from here. We will go from the 11th floor to the 38th floor and we will have a more pleasant view. In Tony's group, the expert in female mind, the active Lebanese woman, on the lookout for new trends, who has a taste for art, it is Elam, his wife. This bag is nice. He looks like Hermes. -Yes.
The order can already be placed. We work together. Elam is the one doing the research. When we travel, she is the one who supervises some of the buyers. In the woman, and she makes the choice of the collection. Anything that works in Europe or the United States.
They are very trendy here, the Lebanese. Lebanese women do not work like in Europe, so they have time to take care of themselves, to go to the spa every day, to do their hair. They are elegant though. Lebanese women have lunches and dinners to make. So since the company is very small, they don't wear the dress twice in a row, for example. You know, Beirut is one of the rare cities where 40 to 50% of our turnover is made by the town's residents.
On the other hand, if you take Paris, perhaps Parisian women make 7 to 10%. We still have this advantage of progressing with tourists who go shopping, foreigners. For us, it's very good because it suits us. Change the image of Beirut, make Lebanon attractive, This is the goal of this new generation of entrepreneurs. Even in advertising.
Wissam Smayra has just created his company and it's already a success. An Italian company just asked them to produce an ad for an iced tea. For Wissam and his team, work has become an essential value.
War is always somewhere. We work, we risk not being able to work anymore if there are problems, so we take advantage. I believe that this story of the 2006 war also taught us all. It was a lesson because suddenly, from one day to the next, There were four months of work stoppage. Right after, with the return to work, did we know what it was to work? We no longer ask ourselves questions, we accept all projects, we work and I find that it has given a spirit new and new and young to all production and to the whole profession. Sun, private beach and palm trees, it's a dream setting for this advert.
Wissam, the producer, came for the end of filming. How are you ? Let's kiss each other. -Yes. How are you? -Good, good. Is this the last shot? -Yes. It's the boss. This is the first time that Wissam works for Italians.
From the model to the technical team, They are all Lebanese. Yves is the boss and he works and concentrates a little. Free the mind. -We're going to free it. We have blue skies, the sea, good weather. And also one thing is the teams. We have teams that are very well trained.
A real advantage of filming in Lebanon is the ease to have permits to film. We can do what we want and that's a bit, I think, linked to our mentality where we are always there, understanding each other and we make compromises. Sometimes it backfires, but it makes everything easier. It's a bit like traffic.
There's not really an agent who manages this. It's a mess, but an organized one. For Wissam, this ad is a real challenge.
If customers are satisfied, other European markets may open up to him. And the Italian director looks delighted. This country is really good for castings. you find beautiful people which are perfect for an Italian advertisement. Their faces are Mediterranean-type and very similar to ours.
They fit our criteria well. And then it must be said that here, it's really cheaper than in Italy. A few days later, Wissam is happy. He won his bet. The Italians are going to order a new advertisement from him.
So tonight, he decided to throw a party. He invited his friends Mazen the brewer and Rania the bookseller to celebrate his success in a club. No camera. These dynamic and enterprising Lebanese people love to party. For them, it is a way to ward off the threat, to keep away violence, the risk of war.
Even if, deep down, they remain worried. As we live on this volcano, you never know when it's going to explode. So we make the most of it.
It's a bit like Pompeii. I have always wondered, how the people of Pompeii, knowing that the volcano was there, why didn't they leave it? It's a bit like Beirut. It's the magnet that keeps us here. We don't know when it will explode. Is it going to explode? I think so. But we don't know when. And so far, we're doing well.
2024-11-13 12:28
