Rakan Mayasi on His Cannes Debut 'Yesterday the Eye Didn't Sleep' and Filming Without a Script in Lebanon
By
Ryan Lattanzio
12d ago· 9 min readen
100/100
Golden Brown
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Summary
Rakan Mayasi's debut feature "Yesterday the Eye Didn't Sleep" — the only film in this year's Cannes official selection by a Palestinian-descent filmmaker — is set in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley and explores life under the constant presence of war drones. Shot in March 2025 with a nonprofessional cast and without a traditional script, the film uses a striking wide shot of women laboring in fields beneath snow-capped mountains while a war drone hums in the distance. In this interview, Mayasi discusses his Cannes premiere, working with first-time actors, and his unconventional filmmaking approach.
Key quotes
· 3 pulled'Yesterday the Eye Didn't Sleep' — the only feature in this year's Cannes official selection by a filmmaker of Palestinian descent
There's a striking wide shot of women laboring in a fertile field amid the majestic snow-capped Anti-Lebanon mountains
Shot in March 2025 in eastern Lebanon's Beqaa Valley
Rakan Mayasi talks his Cannes premiere, 'Yesterday the Eye Didn't Sleep,' and working with nonprofessional cast and without a script. Interview.
