
SIRENS intimately chronicles the lives and music of Slave to Sirens, a band made up of five young metalheads whose burgeoning fame is set against the backdrop of the Lebanese revolution. Its members wrestle with friendship, sexuality, and destruction as their music serves as a refuge to Beirut's youth culture. At the band's core are its two founding members, Lilas Mayassi and Shery Bechara, whose complicated relationship and subsequent tense fallout threatens the very fabric of the band. An even greater looming threat, however, is Lebanon's criminalization of homosexuality, as well as the wholly devastating effects of their country's political regime. Despite their obvious challenges, the members of Slave to Sirens persist in trying to create a revolution of their own: living their truth.
Director
Rita Baghdadi
Cast
Shery Bechara, Lilas Mayassi
Rating
Year
2022
Country
United States, Lebanon
Language
English, Arabic
Main Trailer
Reviews
- "If the band's spiky but unwavering friendships remain intact, one can only hope that the Lebanese metalheads will be rocking their way into countless hearts very soon."
- The Playlist - "With the band's headstrong co-founders leading their tale, SIRENS is a powerful reminder that punk isn't dead if you know where to look."
- IndieWire - "Wanting more is a criticism, but it’s a luxury criticism. This documentary builds a world you want to explore further."
- The Hollywood Reporter
Awards
- Frameline San Francisco Int'l LGBTQ Film Festival
- Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival
- Sun Valley Film Festival, US
- Florida Film Festival
- L.A. Outfest
Festivals
- Sundance Film Festival
- Santa Barbara Int'l Film Festival
- Cleveland Int'l Film Festival
- Buenos Aires Int'l Festival of Independent Cinema
- Hot Docs Int'l Film Festival
- Munich Int'l Film Festival
- Krakow Film Festival
- Frameline Film Festival
- Sydney Film Festival
- Outfest LA Film Festival
- Zurich Film Festival
- True/False Film Festival
- and more...