“Lebanese rockets are conquering the skies above the land of cedar trees!” Headlines like these appeared between 1960 and 1967… Afterwards, Lebanon's space exploration ambitions fell into oblivion, until the two filmmakers Hadjithomas and Joreige opened the print, photo and film archives and interviewed the people who were responsible for the project at the time. A true science fiction story was revealed to them, which they have brought to light with their film.
The film focuses on the Armenian University of Haigazian, with its students and professors: brilliant craftsmen at the start of their careers, who became a specialised crew that was able to launch an 8-metre-long rocket, the "Cedar 4", into the stratosphere. An entire nation was behind this ambition, which was unique in the Arab world. But the story also includes unsuccessful attempts and doomed flying objects, which shattered to bits across the rocky landscapes shortly after takeoff. However, the progress was so spectacular that the political and military authorities interfered and ... with this film, Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige fire their own rocket in honour of Lebanon, which is literally capable of high-flying projects.
