The story of Annie Vartivarian and her daughter Gaïa in Achrafieh

Annie Vartivarian lost her daughter Gaïa Fodoulian in the catastrophic explosion of 4 August 2020 in Beirut. Since then, she has been doing everything she can to fulfil her daughter's biggest dream: a combination of gallery and art fair. As a home for this dream, she chose an enchanted building, also severely damaged from the blast, that would be woken from its slumber: the Tabbal Building, a Beirut legend.

Directors of Photography: Theresa Breuer / Vanessa Schlesier

The film is part of the "Stones of Beirut" project which documents the city's unique culture - in stories, photographs and verse.

More about the project and the book can be found here: stones-of-beirut.com/