Hostage: The Bachar Tapes (English Version)

2001 17mMovie

Hostage: The Bachar Tapes (English Version) is an experimental documentary about "The Western Hostage Crisis." The crisis refers to the abduction and detention of Westerners in Lebanon in the 80s and early 90s by "Islamic militants." This episode directly and indirectly consumed Lebanese, U.S., French, and British political and public life, and precipitated a number of high-profile political scandals like the Iran-Contra affair in the U.S. This period is examined through the testimony of Souheil Bachar, who was the only Arab to have been detained with the American hostages kidnapped in Beirut in the 1980s. In 1999, Bachar collaborated with The Atlas Group to produce 53 videotapes about his captivity. Tapes #17 and #31 are the only two tapes Bachar makes available outside of Lebanon. In the tapes, Bachar addresses the cultural, textual, and sexual aspects of his detention with the Americans.