His movie was one of the ten selected short films at the Lebanese Film festival. Gilbert Abou Zeid, only 23 years old, triggered all senses through “Présence feminine” (Feminin Presence), indeed a stirring film that tributes motherhood. The young director refuses to be taken by the Lebanese trend which only deals with social matters. He prefers to tackle issues of everyday life, and the dark side of it which people rarely expose.

He confides almost timidly that he doesn’t know how to make humorous pictures and is aware that he often deals with distressing subjects. At the age of 23, this young Lebanese director who already made four short films chooses some specific themes for his narrative frameworks such as the harassment of teenagers, death, pain, poverty and aging. “Although, I tend to be a clown every now and then in real life” he declares in a tone which points to his own inquiries regarding the topics he highlights.

In his last short film « Présence féminine », Gilbert Abou Zeid decided to elicit the subject death in a reversed approach, “in other words resurrecting the deceased character”. The film opens in a petty setting: a Christmas breakfast uniting a father and his two kids. The daughter discovers gradually, signs of a feminine presence in his widowed father’s house. She was troubled when she saw lipstick on the glasses put in the sink, lady-slippers spread in the bedroom and dresses in the closet. However, she finally understood that all these signs weren’t those of a woman’s aura but of her father’s. Since the loss of his spouse, her father secretly wears her mother’s garments and jewelry. Apparently the father was in denial of his beloved wife’s death and struggles to revive her presence.

Gilbert Abou Zeid dedicates this movie to his mother, the woman who knew how to assume all her responsibilities when her husband departed. “When my father said his final words, my mother was in charge of all matters. During that period, I realized the true value of a mother who can fulfill and take charge of both positions hers and the father’s .however roles cannot be reversed, it much more difficult for a father to maintain her role”, clarifies Gilbert as he claims he’s currently overwhelmed by the feminine presence that has surrounded him since his childhood.

Gilbert Abou Zeid has almost lived his entire life in Beirut with his mother and two sisters, with an undying urge to study and pursue a career in cinematography… Graduated from the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts (ALBA) at the age of twenty, he drew the attention of Louis Lumière’s school principal, the famous Parisian cinema school.

The school principal was really impressed when she saw the « The Lebanese dream », Gilbert Abou Zeid’s documentary that depicts the daily life of a disadvantaged family in Beirut. “After having seen the movie, the director suggested that I go to study one more year in Louis Lumière, it wasn’t an offer to be refused…”, he said and admitted few minutes later that he always dreamt of attending this French school, the absolute reference in the cinema’s world.

The young Lebanese felt totally at ease in the Parisian school and the French society in general. During the weekends, he was a “Vj” in a bar situated in the capital, in other terms, he blended videos with music. Another skill this talented man possesses...

Since his return to Lebanon, few months ago, the young director declares that he is always subject to doubt. “I don’t know if coming back to Lebanon was the good choice to make, but now I’m in Lebanon anyway.” Currently, Gilbert Abou Zeid is working for Hedgehog, a post-production company established by his uncle. “I am not being able to live in the present and remain satisfied with what I have. I have to always look higher and keep walking the path which I must and will take nevermind if sometimes I involuntary exhaust myself”, he said.

It’s definite that Gilbert Abou Zeid craves to rise further but he also wants to see “what’s happening elsewhere”. Where would his next exile country be? Maybe Argentina, so that he can be able to discover his grandfather country… and come across with other motion picture themes..