Bosta
Seven old friends, a repainted school bus, and a new beat for an old dance.
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About the Film
A musical road movie: seven childhood friends reunite after fifteen years apart to reform their old dabke troupe and take a modern, techno-inflected version of the traditional Lebanese dance across the country. Piling into an old school bus (a "bosta") for the tour, they are forced to confront themselves and the many, conflicting identities of postwar Lebanon. Working in a light, musical register, Philippe Aractingi uses the film to approach difficult subjects -- reconciliation with the past, religious tolerance, father-son relationships, homosexuality and the position of women in Lebanese society.
A Turning Point For Lebanese Cinema
Released as Lebanon's first postwar musical, Bosta became the highest-grossing Lebanese film in 25 years, with roughly 140,000 admissions at home, before a theatrical release in nine-plus countries and a French release in 2008.
Awards & Recognition
- Best Scenario Award, Carthage Film Festival (source lists 2002 -- verify against production dates)
- Murex d'Or, Lebanon
- Best First Work Award, Arab Film Festival Rotterdam
- IMA Award for First Feature Film
- Audience Award, Queens International Festival
- Young Audience Award, Artemare Festival (Corsica)
Film Crew & Director
Main Cast
- Featuring
- Nadine Labaki, Rodney El Haddad, Bshara Attallah
Philippe Aractingi
Director
Philippe Aractingi is a Lebanese writer-director whose work has repeatedly represented Lebanon at the Oscars and moved between musical, drama and documentary form to confront the country's war, memory and identity. TODO: expand with full biography / filmography once supplied by Fantascope.
Screening Requests
Bosta is available for screenings, community events, and licensing. Whether you're a curator, educator, or festival programmer—we'd love to help you share it.
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