“Beirut Dreams in Color” is a short movie directed by Michael Collins about the Mashrou’ Leila Lebanese rock band and feminist activist Sarah Hegazi. Mashrou’ Leila was one of the most popular alternative rock group in the Middle East, and the first to promote LGBTQ+ rights. The band unfortunately had to disband in 2022 after facing accusations, harassment and threats over their songs.

Sarah was an activist who was jailed in 2017 after waving a rainbow flag at a concert in Cairo by Mashrou’ Leila. She was tortured for 3 months by the Egyptian authorities before she got exiled to Canada. Unfortunately, she struggled with depression and trauma was found dead in her Toronto apartment of an apparent suicide.

“Beirut Dreams in Color” was already featured in the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival and has just been nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Short Documentary. The Outstanding Short Documentary is one of 62 categories in the 2023 Emmys, which received over 2,300 submissions. The 44th edition will take place on September 27 and 28 in New York.