Dickinson hosted a screening of the Oscar nominated Lebanese film “1982” and a virtual question and answer session with director, Oualid Mouaness. Dickinson students and members of the Carlisle community enjoyed the film and refreshments in Althouse Hall. 

The film follows an 11-year-old boy trying to tell his school crush that he loves her, all while the 1982 invasion of Lebanon breaks out around him. The introduction and Q&A were co-moderated by Professor Margaret Frohlich in the Spanish and Film & Media Studies departments as well as Professor Mireille Rebeiz in the French & Francophone Studies Department. 

Several Dickinson students and Carlisle community members were able to ask Mouaness their questions about the movie. Students representing several majors on campus asked about interpretations of the film’s ending, symbolism and use of language. Mouaness spoke about how important this film was to him personally, as he lived through the invasion. According to him, this is the first piece of media released about that day in 1982, and he felt that it was  important to share this film, particularly in Lebanon, to prevent a repetition of history.

While the movie is frequently categorized as a war film, Mouaness intentionally did not feature soldiers or commanders within his story. In the Q&A section of the event he expanded on this, explaining that he wanted to tell a story about war from the perspective of the people affected by it, not the people enacting the violence. 

After the screening, Mouaness expressed his gratitude for both of the departments represented by the panel, as well as to the college for hosting him.