Civilisées (A Civilized People or Al Mutahaddirat) is a 1999 Lebanese dark comedy drama film written and directed by filmmaker Randa Chahal Sabag.
[3] During the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), many well-off Lebanese families fled the country to look for their personal interests internationally, leaving their residences under the care of maids and laborers from Egypt, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.
The film draws a portrait of a war-tormented Beirut neighborhood, and the love between a Muslim militia fighter and a Christian maid.
[3] However, it received positive responses from international audiences, including at film festivals in Italy, France, and Canada.
[5][2] At the 1999 Venice Film Festival, the film won the UNESCO Award (tied with Zion, Auto-Emancipation) and was nominated for the Cinema of the Present - Lion of the Year Award.