Rakan Mayasi explores unconventional stories and underrepresented communities

According to Variety, the debut feature by iconoclastic Palestinian filmmaker Rakan Mayasi, titled “Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep,” drew notice at this year’s Un Certain Regard in Cannes for its strong, lyrical depiction of a Bedouin community in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley.

It is screening competitively at the El Gouna Film Festival.

Mayasi discusses his interest in unusual narratives and showing groups rarely seen in cinema.