I came to Doha in 2012 for a three month job. Before I knew it, three months turned into three years, and three years turned into ten. With every passing year Beirut moved further away, and little by little it began to uncouple from me. I lost Beirut long before it lost itself.
Today, under the unbearable weight of total collapse, a new generation prepares to escape. Those who can have already left. Like some phantom limb, Beirut and all its lost places haunt my dreams and sometimes my waking hours. I wonder what kind of dreams of home the people I encounter in the dim lit alleys of Doha have. Perhaps none of us belong here.
Doha and Beirut converge in my mind, my family and loved ones suspended somewhere in between. I revisit places incessantly, looking for confirmation that they haven't disappeared.
ذهبتُ إلى الدوحة عام 2012 للعمل لمدة ثلاثة أشهر. ودون أن أدرك، تحوّلت الأشهر الثلاثة إلى ثلاث سنوات، وتحوّلت السنوات الثلاث إلى عشر سنوات. ومع كل عام يمرّ، كانت بيروت تبتعد أكثر، وشيئاً فشيئاً بدأت تنفصل عني. لقد فقدت بيروت قبل أن تفقد نفسها بوقت طويل.
اليوم، تحت وطأة الانهيار التام الذي لا يُطاق، يستعد جيل جديد للهروب. من استطاع الهرب غادر بالفعل. مثل طرف مبتور، تطاردني بيروت وكل أماكنها المفقودة في أحلامي، وأحياناً في يقظتي. أتساءل ما الأحلام التي تراود الأشخاص الذين أواجههم في الأزقة المظلمة في الدوحة، عن الوطن. ربما لا أحد منا ينتمي إلى هنا.
الدوحة وبيروت تلتقيان في ذهني، عائلتي وأحبائي عالقون في مكان ما بينهما. أعود لزيارة الأماكن باستمرار، بحثاً عن تأكيد أنها لم تتلاشَ بالفعل.
Ghayyan Al Amine is a filmmaker by trade and photographer by passion, born in Beirut, Lebanon and based in Doha, Qatar since 2011. Having practiced photography on and off since 2002, he undertook it as his main form of expression in 2016 and began working on a number of personal projects.
His work is often introspective and delves into the deep and dark corners of cities, streets, and family. He continues to develop his numerous projects alongside his profession as a filmmaker and TV director.
Ghayyan Al Amine is a filmmaker by trade and photographer by passion, born in Beirut, Lebanon and based in Doha, Qatar since 2011. Having practiced photography on and off since 2002, he undertook it as his main form of expression in 2016 and began working on a number of personal projects.
His work is often introspective and delves into the deep and dark corners of cities, streets, and family. He continues to develop his numerous projects alongside his profession as a filmmaker and TV director.