Jean Hatem was born and bred in Hammana and has always seen the world in terms of light and form. He studied audiovisual-cinema at Antonin University, Baabda, Lebanon which kick-started his career in all things visual: He began on a short-term contract as a cameraman for a national TV station in Qatar before returning to Lebanon to start his 8-year career in producing documentaries for UN agencies and NGOs, and creating videos for digital marketing agencies such as Leo Burnett and DAY•DREAM. In parallel, he has pursued his passion for documenting collective memory and memories that are about to disappear in Hammana and beyond. His short films have participated in international film festivals such as Beirut International Film Festival 2011, European Film Festival 2011 and 27th International Festival of Films for Children and Young Adults in Isfahan 2013. In 2017, he was one of ten winners of UNESCO’s global youth contest entitled ‘If I were’. He is greatly inspired by the concept of ‘intuitive photography’ and has studied under Anders Peterson on this concept in Barcelona, as part of the Eyes in Progress workshop. He is currently completing his MA in film directing from the Lebanese University. When Hammana Artist House was born, he joined the team by documenting all the house’s activities and events, after which he, the team, and the artists grab a drink at ‘Drink on the Side’, the pub he co-owns with his friends.
