Bachar Khattar directed 2021 WMFF features “Confessions of a Runner” A blend of eye-popping scenery, extreme human achievement, and revealing personal stories, Confessions of a Runner features Patrick Vaughan, an accomplished trail runner as he shares his story of healing and redemption while pursuing the record for completing the 470-kilometre Lebanon Mountain Trail, traversing from Syria to the Israeli border. We asked him a few questions, see our Q&A conversation below:
What is in your gear bag/kit?
Sony a7s , Fs7, zoom, mics
What item can you not live without?
Sound recorder
Most necessary character-quality for a director?
Listens
Who has been most influential in your directing career?
Muriel Aboulrouss
More About Bachar Khattar
Bachar Khattar, Director, was born in Lebanon, and grew up in Beirut, obtaining a degree in Audiovisual Studies in 2008 from Saint Joseph University. His first short film won the Best Short Film Award in Lebanon at the Notre Dame University, and he immediately moved into filming commercials, TV shows, and web series for popular artists in the region, as well as short documentaries.
In 2014, Bachar worked as Director of Photography on Yemeniettes, his first feature documentary. The film showcased three Yemeni teenage girls who enter an entrepreneurship competition but along the way encounter the hardships of a country marked by a broken educational system, joblessness, and the threatening presence of Al-Qaeda. The project won several awards, including Best Documentary Award at the High Falls Film Festival in Rochester, NY.
An avid outdoorsman, Bachar’s love for the Lebanese countryside led him to meet Avedis Kalpaklian, the first Lebanon Mountain Trail Ultra runner, and subsequently Patrick Vaughan. He is the principal cinematographer for Confessions of a Runner, beginning with the race footage from June 2017.
Bachar now lives with his wife and two-year-old son between Beirut and Ottawa. His fluency in three languages (English, Arabic, and French) allows him to meet different people with interesting stories to document.
