Zaven Kouyoumdjian has the pleasure to invite you to the signing ceremony of his new book “Lebanon on Screen: The greatest moments of Lebanese television and pop culture” coming Tuesday, December 13 between 17.00 and 20.30, at Balamand University’s Academie Libanaise des Beaux Arts (Alba) in Sin el Fil.
Inspired by Zaven’s previous book, “Assaada’Allahou Masa’akoum” (2015), “Lebanon on Screen” is published by Hachette-Antoine and Alba, with the support of the American Embassy in Lebanon.
The first of its kind to be written in English, “Lebanon on Screen” showcases the most famous and infamous moments of Lebanese television from a global perspective, and puts it on the international TV industry map. The almost 500-page book contains more than 2000 images covering over three decades of the history of Lebanon, a tiny country that played a leading role in shaping Arab culture.
Targeting a global audience, the book recounts the best and worst Lebanese TV moments, since the medium’s inception in 1959 to the ratification of the national audiovisual law in 1994, and underscores the particular importance of the end of the Lebanese civil war milestone in 1991, as well as the possible ways Lebanese television could transition from war to peace-time broadcasting, after the Taef Accord.
Shedding the light on Lebanese television’s Golden Age legends, and highlighting its most stand-out on-screen heroes and villains, “Lebanon on Screen” is considered a rich reference work, which provides the international missing link to Lebanese pop and TV culture, and their pioneering roles in the Middle East.
Among some of the most brilliant media celebrities on the Lebanese small screen, Zaven Kouyoumdjian began his career in the early 90s, in Tele Liban, where he had his first encounter with the Archives’ treasure trove. He moved to “Future TV” in the late 90s, where he presented his famous show, “ Since we’re on the Subject” (Sire winfatahit). Zaven currently presents a socio-cultural show entitled “Straight to the Point” (Bala Toul Sire) on Future TV and teaches media classes in several Lebanese universities.
The book signing will include a presentation of the current projects of ALBA’s new TV department students. The department, which was established in 2015, aims to prepare students for various aspects of working in the television industry.