Lebanese cinema has been gaining steady recognition at international festivals, but distribution at home and across the region often remains a challenge. That is why the acquisition of Death of a Virgin and the Sin of Not Living by Front Row Filmed Entertainment matters.
In February 2022, The961 reported that Front Row – described as the leading independent film distributor in the MENA region – had picked up regional rights to the film, giving it a stronger path to cinemas and platforms across Arab markets.
A coming-of-age story that challenges myths
Written and directed by Lebanese-Argentinian filmmaker George Peter Barbari, Death of a Virgin and the Sin of Not Living is set in the coastal town of Batroun, where Barbari himself grew up. Produced by Beirut-based Bee On Set Productions, the film follows a group of troubled teens who take their friend Etienne to an escort, hoping to help him ""become a man"" by losing his virginity.
According to Berlinale’s notes, Barbari set out to deconstruct the global myth around this kind of masculine rite of passage, crafting a ""polyphonic"" film where poetry and social reality collide. The night that was supposed to be a simple initiation instead becomes a lens on violence, shame, friendship and the pressures placed on young men in a conservative society.
From Batroun to Berlinale
The film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2021, immediately positioning Barbari as a new voice to watch. It went on to screen at New Horizons International Film Festival in Poland, Istanbul Film Festival, and Leiden International Film Festival in the Netherlands, where it won the prize for best first feature.
These selections signalled that the film’s mix of raw intimacy and structural experimentation resonated beyond Lebanon’s borders, tapping into universal themes of youth and regret.
Front Row’s role in amplifying Lebanese stories
Front Row’s acquisition is part of a broader strategy. The distributor recently handled the first Arabic-language Netflix remake of Perfect Strangers, featuring Lebanese stars George Khabbaz and Nadine Labaki alongside Egyptian actors such as Mona Zaki. That project topped charts across the MENA region, proving that Arabic films can perform strongly on global platforms.
By adding Death of a Virgin and the Sin of Not Living to its slate, Front Row signals confidence in more daring, independent Lebanese cinema – not just mainstream remakes. The film’s cast, which includes Etienne Assal, Feyrouz Abi Hassan, Souraya Baghdadi, Adnan Khabbaz, Jean-Paul Franjieh and Elie Saad, also benefits from having their work seen in professional circuits beyond the festival bubble.
A quiet milestone for Lebanese filmmaking
Lebanese filmmakers have long told difficult stories, but they have not always had distribution partners able to carry those stories into regional markets. The Front Row deal does not guarantee box-office success, yet it marks a key step: a respected regional distributor betting on a film that is formally ambitious, politically aware and uncompromising in its view of youth.
For young directors watching from Lebanon and the diaspora, Barbari’s trajectory – from Batroun to Berlinale to a MENA-wide deal – offers something invaluable: proof that first features can travel if they are honest, well-crafted and supported by the right partners.
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