TONY ELI KANAAN ON TELLING POWERFUL YET SIMPLE STORIES

Tony Eli Kanaan is a Lebanese director, screenwriter and actor. Raised in Beirut, watching movies as a child was his obsession. Children his age counted the times they traveled, he counted the times he entered the movie theatre. Throughout high school, he acted in every school play and musical and went on to the AUB to earn his BA in Psychology, Creative writing and English literature. After graduating with honors, he cowrote Omé, a short film which garnered numerous festival awards and nominations across the globe. Tony later starred in numerous short films, music videos and commercials locally and in LA. As a director, his multiple awareness campaigns have created a major impact locally, and it was his recent work on migrant workers for Caritas that caught my attention, hence why I immediately got in touch and requested an interview. This really is the moment to create thought provoking and powerful work creatively that not only impact people but force them to take a stand. Thank you for your outstanding work Tony.

Tony your greatest inspirations or influences?

I am mostly inspired by Hollywood. The craftsmanship in American filmmaking is unmatched and I am constantly aiming for my work to reach that standard. Movies like Shame, Inglorious Bastards and Assassination of Jesse James were a pivotal influence.  

Tell us about your most recent work.

All my recent work thus far has been revolving around causes and local injustice. From anti shisha, down syndrome stigma, all the way to mental health, and child/dog/migrant workers abuse.  Being a control freak, all my ads have been written, directed, produced and edited by myself. Fortunately,   most of my ads have gone viral locally and have been praised for their simplicity and quality. 

The situation in Lebanon is really dire, what’s it like to work, feel creative and live in this environment?

Ironically, Lebanon has been a major creative hub for me; my biggest muse!  I always find opportunities for creativity in injustice and Lebanon is unfortunately an injustice hub. Scarce budgets have made production a challenge but with a passionate crew and simple storytelling, anything is possible. I vividly remember filming my mental health and migrant worker campaigns in the midst of the revolution. We were constantly struggling to plan filming dates because of the vigorous street protests and lockdowns. 

Upcoming projects or dream projects?

Directing wise, my upcoming work involves an LGBTQ, driving safety and cardiac arrest campaigns. As a screenwriter, i have a feature length screenplay in production as well as a miniseries in development. In the long run, i dream to write and direct a gangster biopic set in 1920’s New York. 

Anything else you’d like to share?

To any aspiring filmmaker, I can’t stress enough about the importance of telling a simple story. Simplicity always wins. Tell relatable, earthy stories with visible conflicts. Most people won’t connect with abstract, experimental and metaphorical content. 

Check out all of Tony’s work here : www.vimeo.com/tonyelikanaan