Lebanon’s political families: The Gemayel dynasty

This film takes us inside another of the most prominent and influential political dynasties in Lebanon in recent history. Lebanon’s complex politics have often been controlled by the country’s leading families, divided along sectarian lines. The Gemayel family has dominated Lebanon’s Maronite Christian population for generations. Their leaders have faced political infighting, involvement in the country’s civil war, negotiated a peace agreement with Israel, and had members assassinated.

The Gemayel family is synonymous with the Kataeb or Phalange political party, founded in 1936 and led for almost 50 years by Pierre Gemayel. The film includes testimony from former Lebanese President Amine Gemayel, whose brother Bashir was assassinated three weeks after being elected president. Then in 2006, Amine’s son Pierre was also assassinated. This is a story of power and politics against the backdrop of Lebanon’s brutal civil war. Today, members of the third Gemayel generation are leading the Kataeb but face the huge challenges of both a country and a region in turmoil. How this plays out will be part of the next chapter of Lebanese and Middle East regional politics.

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