Most of us know the shadowed night in ‘93, when Nohad Al Chami’s left side went numb. The stroke stole her voice, her steps, and her grasp on the world, leaving a mother of twelve adrift in a hospital bed, her rosary clutched like a lifeline. But then, Saint Charbel’s whisper cut through. She had a dream vision of the hermit saint at her bedside, scalpel in hand, mending what medicine could not. Dawn broke with scars on her palms and feet, and Nohad rose, whole, a living testament that our cedars don’t break. They bear the storm’s weight in faith’s unyielding grain.
That fire did not dim in the decades since. Even as Lebanon’s tempests howled with wars, crises, and the ache of exile, Nohad carried it forward. Her story became a quiet blaze for every pilgrim at Annaya, for every whispered novena in our Canadian homes. In a final, tender mercy, she lived to witness her life etched on the silver screen in Nohad Al Chami: A Sign of Faith.
This biographical drama captures not just the miracle, but the raw ache of surrender, the family’s vigil lit nights, the saint’s indelible touch. Directed by Samir Habchi, with Yorgo Chalhoub, and Julia Kassar channeling Nohad’s fierce grace and Maya Yammine her younger spark, she saw the finished reels just months before slipping into eternity on May 14, 2025. It was a blessing that lets her legacy flicker brighter, urging us to claim our piece of it.
Now, that same film calls to us here, in the heart of our diaspora. Its North American premiere lights up the Lebanese Film Festival in Canada, LFFC, Halifax edition on Monday, November 10, at 7:00 PM. This is not a screening. It is communion, a chance to sit shoulder to shoulder with fellow children of the Cedar as Nohad’s “why me” echoes our own answered prayers. Feel the incense rise again through every frame. Her scars are a map back to the faith that pulled us across oceans.
A Sign of Faith anchors a full festival heartbeat, from November 7 to 11. This is our ninth year turning Halifax’s autumn chill into home fire warmth. For all of us, a lineup of Lebanese stories that root us deep. Stories from Beirut’s lively noise to northern villages’ stone quiet strength, all laced with family, history, and that unbreakable hope no distance erases. For Lebanese from all walks of life, this is your space, where “il Lebneni” lives loud, teaching our kids the scent of cedar through song and screen.
Seats are fleeting, so do not let this slip like a half-said prayer. Let us fill rows with that Lebanese roar of faith and joy. Reserve Your Tickets now at www.lffcanada.com, before the theatre swells and Nohad’s light finds its Halifax home without you.
