While the world was shut down during the Covid 19 pandemic, there wasn’t much else to do but to consume the news and social media. And on one day in August, all of our eyes were on Beirut. It’s not a city that most people in the Western world pay too much attention to on a daily basis, or even concern themselves with what life might be like in that region of the world. But the capital city of Lebanon caught everyone’s attention when an ammonium nitrate storage silo at the Port exploded, creating one of the largest explosions in the world without the use of nuclear devices.
We’d love to say that attention stayed on the region after the initial explosion, but in today’s fast-paced news cycle, most people didn’t really follow up and see more than the extent of the initial damage. But in a new documentary To Cover Your Eyes and See Fire, audiences can get an inside look at the trauma, physical pain and damage done just by one accident – and what has happened in the years since.

Following the families of people who were killed by the blast, a dancer who was injured, and families who were reshaped and trying to rebuild their lives and homes – the documentary shows a large range of people who still live in Beirut. From children who have had their lives shaped by violence and the fear created by the explosion, to adults who see it as just another failing of the government who refuse to help protect the region from attacks from inside and outside.
The devastation left behind, and the fires and infrastructure failures are only part of the problems that linger through the years following the explosion. And this was before the current bombing happened. It gives you a whole different perspective of the region, the people who are just trying to survive and what life is like after the news turned the cameras away.

To Close Your Eyes and See Fire is heartbreaking, moving, and shocking at the same time. It puts names and faces to the people lost during the explosion in 2020, but more so shows the struggle and perseverance of their families and other survivors in the region since. While the news cycle has all but forgotten the tragedy that occurred, the city and people still live with the daily reminders and an onslaught of violence over the years. It gives outsiders a glimpse into what is still happening years later and some of the reasons people are still struggling to get out of the area.
The documentary is eye-opening and will give audiences a different perspective on the tragedy. The survivors are still dealing with the losses and pain while the silos still burn and collapse to this day.
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About To Close Your Eyes and See Fire
Beirut lies in ruins. Yet, even after the explosion at the city’s port, life goes on. But how do you clear away debris when it conceals far more than just a disaster? And how do you regain hope for a better future?