{"id":5643,"date":"2022-04-16T16:01:01","date_gmt":"2022-04-16T16:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/?p=3928"},"modified":"2023-07-07T07:11:06","modified_gmt":"2023-07-07T07:11:06","slug":"can-lebanons-winds-of-change-extend-to-prison-reform-a-discussion-with-second-wind-directors-nessim-stevenson-and-tariq-keblaou","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/can-lebanons-winds-of-change-extend-to-prison-reform-a-discussion-with-second-wind-directors-nessim-stevenson-and-tariq-keblaou\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Lebanon\u2019s Winds of Change Extend to Prison Reform?: A Discussion with “Second Wind” Directors Nessim Stevenson and Tariq Keblaoui"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Foreword: In a fabric of collapsing infrastructures, the daily challenges endured by former prison inmates in Lebanon often go untold. Many inmates charged with nonviolent crimes are indiscriminately housed in overcrowded prisons across the country for durations that far exceed their sentences due to significant delays to the tribunal process. Even after their release, former inmates face systemic obstacles when attempting to rejoin society, sometimes giving them no choice but to revert to a life of crime. One organization which aims to equip former inmates with the skills needed to return to society is Nusroto<\/a>, the efforts of which are depicted in the vivid documentary Second Wind, directed by Nessim Stevenson and Tariq Keblaoui. We sat down with this duo to hear how the project developed.<\/i><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Second Wind was released online on April 15th<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWatch the movie here<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Credits: Portraits of Nessim Stevenson (left) and Tariq Keblaoui (right), directors of the short documentary film Second Wind (2021).\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Photos Courtesy of Nessim Stevenson and Tariq Keblaoui.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Could you guys introduce yourselves and the production companies you work with today?<\/strong><\/h5>\n

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Nessim: <\/strong>Sure, I can go first. My name is Nessim Stevenson, I\u2019m a filmmaker and photographer from Beirut. I mostly work on humanitarian and environmental topics. I\u2019ve been with a production company called What Took You So Long for almost six years. It\u2019s a very small international production company that mostly collaborates with NGOs and organizations. They were the main production company behind the documentary Second Wind<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Tariq: <\/strong>I\u2019m Tariq Keblaoui, I\u2019m a filmmaker\/video journalist who works in all fields of fiction cinema, documentaries, video journalism, etc. I co-directed this project with Nessim, working under What Took You So Long. I also founded my own production company called Donkey Productions which has started to take off itself. It\u2019s based here in Beirut and has a feature film in the works as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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How did you guys get into contact with the <\/strong>Nusroto Association<\/strong><\/a> and the former inmates* we met in the documentary?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h5>\n

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Nessim:<\/strong> It all starts with Search for Common Ground<\/a>, a global organization focused on peacebuilding. They have an ongoing initiative which works with current and former inmates in prisons worldwide and were looking to produce a documentary about ex-prisoners in Lebanon and the challenges that they face outside of prison while trying to reintegrate back into society. We applied for this project and were eventually selected to produce it. From there we began tracking leads, one of the most responsive was Nusroto, an NGO that offers rehabilitation for recovering drug-addicts and ex-prisoners. They were keen for us to go up to Zahle and meet them. We were immediately introduced to a few of the patients and sat down with them without any cameras. Ahmad, one of the protagonists of the documentary, was the most engaged and connected with what we were saying, he immediately, you know, was giving off the vibe that he wanted to tell his story. He believed it would be an important, important project to take on.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Tariq: <\/strong>When we got to Nusroto for the first time, we felt a bit like aliens. A lot of the guys were hesitant to meet us. We started telling them a bit about the idea and most of them were not really feeling it, especially when it came to being filmed. But you know, our main guy Ahmad was totally ready to drop some heavy truths and get his voice out there. On the way back from Zahle, Nessim suggested living with them for a few days. <\/em>I thought that was a great idea. Slowly but surely, we started getting close to them, and hearing them out. I think once they began to realize that we only wanted to show what they wanted to share, they just kind of opened up to us and we ended up creating a beautiful relationship that we still have to this day. I’m actually still talking to Ahmad, he just got in touch with me and Nessim recently because he’s left rehab and is doing pretty well.<\/p>\n

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Credits: Official poster for the short documentary Second Wind (2021).<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The documentary follows a handful of former inmates rehabilitating towards reintegration into society, thanks to, in large part, the Nusroto Association. What can you share about the challenges that they face when trying to readjust to life after prison?<\/b><\/p>\n

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Tariq: <\/b>I think it was just really clear how much a second chance meant to these guys. These people have only experienced a very punishment-based system, probably throughout all of their lives, whether it be in their communities, or more governmental and prison systems. It can really help to overcome that with a group of people that can work together towards a common goal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Nessim: <\/b>Yeah, it’s the transition really. The way that they would put it is that life in prison is just so crazy, destructive, harsh, and difficult. They almost have a different view of reality. So it really catches them off guard and they need that period of transition where they can talk to a counselor who’s not necessarily a therapist, but just kind of a mentor. They can have a back and forth, you know, asking questions about what is normal and what isn’t.<\/p>\n



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This was the first time you guys worked together. How did you divide up the production and direction responsibilities? Who usually did what?<\/b><\/p>\n

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Tariq: <\/b>Well, I’ve known Nessim since high school, actually. We were not that close but we both knew we were in photography and filmmaking. One day he got in touch with me and asked me if I’d like to make a film with him. I was of course interested, it sounded like an awesome opportunity. Right from the get go, I think we had a lot of synergy, which is actually really quite rare to find in terms of starting a new partnership. We both wrote the script. I was more focused on editing and Nessim was more of a producer, etc. Throughout the whole process and in the field, however, there was very fluid communication of what we wanted to achieve as a documentary. We were totally aligned in just sharing these people’s stories and making it a cinematic experience that is engaging from start to finish.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Nessim: <\/b>It was great. I loved working with Tariq. Formally we say we co-directed; we were basically just two filmmakers that made a film together. Cameras aside, there was a lot of energy management as well when we were working on gaining the trust of these guys and trying to form a genuine connection. And so this required good synergy between us, not only to be comfortable working together but to create a safe space for the patients to express themselves.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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