"Beirut 1982".. A Japanese Lens Documents the Tragedy of the Siege and the Sabra and Shatila Massacre
A short documentary titled "Beirut 1982", directed by Japanese photojournalist Ryuichi Hirokawa, documents the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the siege of West Beirut, and the Sabra and Shatila massacre. The film, rediscovered as part of the "Tokyo Tapes" project, offers an exceptional visual testimony from the perspective of international solidarity filmmakers with the Palestinian cause.
A short documentary titled "Beirut 1982", directed by Japanese photojournalist Ryuichi Hirokawa with the participation of cameraman Tetsuro Nonokawa, documents the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and the events that followed. The film, rediscovered as part of the "Tokyo Tapes" project, traces a tragic sequence beginning with the field incursion and the siege of West Beirut that lasted over 70 days, passing through the decision for PLO fighters to leave under international guarantees, culminating in the collapse of those pledges and the Sabra and Shatila massacre following the fighters' withdrawal. The film relies on the technique of "field accompaniment" and a handheld 16mm camera, moving from scenes of bidding farewell to the fighters to the funereal stillness in the alleys of Shatila on the morning of September 18, 1982. It includes live testimonies from a girl from the Ain al-Hilweh camp, Japanese volunteer doctor "Nobuhara", and a mother who gave birth to twins under the bombardment. The article describes the film as a historical indictment document and an example of the camera transforming into a militant tool that preserves collective memory.