Beiruting News

Lebanese filmmaker Ely Dagher has taken the top prize in the short film category at Cannes Film Festival, with his "98 Waves" being awarded a Palme d'Or Sunday night.

The director, who divides his time between Beirut and Brussels, beat out more than 4,500 other filmmakers for the award. He is the first Lebanese director to recieve the award in the Official Competition since 1991, when Maroun Baghdadi took home the Jury Prize.

Lebanese filmmaker Ely Dagher has taken the top prize in the short film category at Cannes Film Festival, with his "98 Waves" being awarded a Palme d'Or Sunday night.

The director, who divides his time between Beirut and Brussels, beat out more than 4,500 other filmmakers for the award. He is the first Lebanese director to recieve the award in the Official Competition since 1991, when Maroun Baghdadi took home the Jury Prize.

The top prize at Cannes, the feature film Palme d'Or, went to director Jacques Audiard for "Dheepan," a drama about Sri Lankan refugees struggling to assimilate in Europe.

Dagher's "98 Waves" explores the filmmaker's current relationship with him homeland, told through the story of a teenager who has become disillusioned with his life in Beirut's suburbs. Watch the trailer below.