Headstrong 23-year-old guitarist Lilas Mayassi lives with her mom and younger brother on the outskirts of Beirut. By day, Lilas teaches music to kids. By night, she’s trying to keep her thrash metal band together. And she’s secretly falling for a young woman living across the border in Syria.
Growing up in the shadow of their parents’ civil war, Lilas and her bandmates, Shery, Maya, Alma and Tatiana (Slave to Sirens), have big dreams but few opportunities. After being discovered in a major music magazine, the Sirens get invited to the UK to play Glastonbury, the world’s largest music festival. But the show isn’t a life-changer and Lilas comes home to Lebanon on the brink of collapse. She starts taking her frustrations out on her band, specifically Shery, the enigmatic co-founder and lead guitarist with whom Lilas shares a hushed past.
As the revolution takes a turn and Beirut ignites into flames, the complicated friendship between Lilas and Shery begins to fracture. Suddenly, Shery quits the band and they are left without their lead guitarist. With the future of her band, her country and her dreams now at stake, Lilas faces a crossroad. She must decide what kind of leader she will be, not only for her band, but also as a young woman struggling to define herself in Lebanon, a region of the Middle East as complex as each of the Sirens themselves.
COVID-19 POLICIES
All Festival attendees must follow our COVID-19 health and safety protocols at ALL MdFF venues. These policies are subject to change based on local and regional metrics.
NEW in 2022:
- You must reserve your seats in advance for all film screenings and premium events at this year’s festival.
- Face masks are required at all times in all venues
- Proof of vaccination (and booster shot, if eligible) OR proof of negative PCR test dated a maximum of 72 hours before the festival