We Never Left

Part of Arab Film Fest Tulsa’s Sunday focus: Through Revolutionary Eyes—Sudan & Lebanon docs

Ticket includes admission to pre-film Arab Film Fest Tulsa closing reception in lobby catered by Ifriqiya Eats with support from Khan Ohana Foundation

Arab Film Fest Tulsa is presented by Mizna, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Circle Cinema.

See the full schedule here.

We Never Left Loulwa Khoury | 2024 | United States, Lebanon | Arabic, English, w/English subtitles | 83 min

When civil protests erupted in Lebanon on October 17, 2019, Lebanese expats in New York and around the world gathered rapidly to stand in solidarity with their people on the ground. This documentary weaves together the demands and protests in Lebanon with the experiences and organizing work of Lebanese students living in New York. While they come from different backgrounds, their common goals and dreams to return home some day to a civilized and democratic Lebanon fuels and sustains their relationships. Considering the impacts of political organizing from afar, We Never Left examines the situation in contemporary Lebanon through the eyes and dreams of young people living abroad who have an irrepressible love for their homeland.

Filmmaker bio: Loulwa Khoury is a New York–based filmmaker and editor born and raised in Beirut. She has edited award-winning feature documentaries like Paradise without People (2019), Dusty and Stones (2022), and Joy Dancer (2024). She was a fellow in the Karen Schmeer Editing Fellowship and in the Sundance Co//ab Art of Editing Fellowship; she also participated in the DOC NYC x VC Storytelling Incubator. Her interest in documentary filmmaking extends from her desire to raise awareness about social and political issues in the world through film. We Never Left is her directorial feature debut.  

Visit us online to purchase an All Access Pass.