Rabies
Spring Grants 2023 - Development Stage
Sandra Tabet / Feature Narrative / Lebanon, Qatar / 90 min / Original Language: Arabic / Interests: Horror, Fiction
Synopsis
Julia (60) is an ageing History professor who was a fighter in the Lebanese war. A free soul, she struggles to find the balance between her intimate life and her fragile relationship with Ghassan (30), her only son.
One day, while exploring an abandoned war-time place, Ghassan is attacked by a stray dog that scratches his hand. The young man feels a strange attraction to the space, and, despite his mother’s warning, he decides to renovate it.
Julia fights her growing anguish as her son’s wound deteriorates, turning him into an aggressive and violent man. Meanwhile, while Ghassan’s restoration leads him to uncover remains of the war, rumours of dog attacks spread in the city, and corpses start piling up on the streets.
When Julia finally breaks free from her state of denial, she realizes that her son’s illness has taken over his body and soul. She drives a rabid and violent Ghassan through the quarantined streets of Beirut. Mother and son hope to escape the city before it is seized by the herds of rabid dogs.
Credits
- Director
- Sandra Tabet
- Screenwriter
- Sandra Tabet
- Producer
- Rana Eid
- Production Company
- DB Studios Beirut
About the Director
Sandra Tabet is a Lebanese filmmaker based in France. She earned an MA in Filmmaking from The London Film School in 2014 and a BA in Arts du Spectacle from the Saint-Joseph University, Beirut, in 2007. Her directing credits include 'Thieves in the Night' (2014, in competition at The London International Film Festival), 'The Howl' (2017, Jury Prize at Maskoon Film Festival) and 'Hell' (2021, premiered at Cinemed). Sandra worked in sound post-production on several feature films with DB Studios, including 'Geographies' (Doc. 2015, dir. Arzoumanian, competition in Cinéma du reel), 'Tramontane' (2016, Fiction Feature, dir. Boulghourijian, premiered at La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs) and 'War Travelers' (2018, Fiction Feature, dir. Said, Best Arab Film award at Sharam el Sheikh Film Festival). In 2017, Sandra took part in the Berlinale Talent Campus and in 2018, she became a partner with DB studios Beirut. She is currently writing her first feature film, 'Rabies'.