Interview: Nicola Von Leffern, Jakob Carl Sauer • Directors of To Close Your Eyes and See Fire - “It's a Film About Trauma, but in General It's a Film About Class” - Bergamo 2026

Key Takeaways

• Five-year documentary explores Beirut explosion’s societal impact.
• Highlights class divide in trauma coping mechanisms.
• Directors blend NGO experience with cinematic storytelling.
• Aims to bridge Lebanese realities and European audiences.
• Raises ethical questions about Western documentary perspective.

Summary

Directors Nicola von Leffern and Jakob Carl Sauer debut their first feature documentary, *To Close Your Eyes and See Fire*, chronicling the human fallout from the 2020 Beirut explosion. Filmed over three years between Beirut and Vienna, the film interweaves personal narratives that expose how trauma is processed across Lebanon’s social classes. The directors, drawing on prior NGO work, aim to create a visual bridge between Lebanese experiences and European audiences while confronting the risk of a Eurocentric lens. The project underscores the ongoing challenges of healing amid renewed conflict in the region.

Pulse Analysis

The 2020 Beirut port blast left a scar that continues to shape Lebanon’s social fabric, compounded by an electricity crisis and renewed military aggression. While mainstream coverage often centers on immediate casualties and infrastructure damage, the longer‑term psychological toll remains under‑reported. In this context, documentary filmmakers are turning to immersive storytelling to fill the gap, offering audiences a nuanced view of a nation grappling with layered trauma.

*To Close Your Eyes and See Fire* distinguishes itself by juxtaposing the lived experiences of disparate social strata—from affluent families who can afford helicopter trips to ski resorts, to displaced Syrian refugees navigating daily survival. The directors leverage their NGO background to gain intimate access, allowing candid conversations that reveal how class influences coping mechanisms and access to resources. By foregrounding personal testimonies, the film transforms abstract statistics into relatable human stories, illustrating how economic privilege can buffer—or exacerbate—the shock of disaster.

Beyond its artistic merit, the documentary serves a strategic purpose: it builds a cultural bridge between Lebanon and Europe, inviting policymakers, donors, and the broader public to reconsider aid models through a class‑aware lens. The filmmakers also grapple with the ethical tension of presenting Middle Eastern realities from a European perspective, prompting a broader industry dialogue about representation. As streaming platforms seek socially relevant content, the film’s cross‑regional appeal positions it to influence both public opinion and funding priorities, reinforcing the power of cinema as a catalyst for informed humanitarian action.