Will I always be the ‘traumatized’ sound designer who comes from a war zone?

After many years working in sound design for films and documentaries, a recurring question has entered my mind: Is this really a passion for me, or simply a necessity for coping with my traumas and the reality we live in?

What if we depict this in a film – would it feel overwhelming? How can I convey the reality of sound in a film without making it unbearable?

My goal is always to create a compelling soundtrack that weaves together sound and music. In this talk, I will share my approach and explore how I work with room tones, voices and ambiances. I will also reflect on the choices that embody both aesthetic intentions and political statements.

I am Rana Eid, a sound designer from Lebanon. For 24 years, I have lived and worked in a landscape shaped by conflict, unrest, civil war, and the Israeli invasion—a reality that continues to resonate today.

Throughout this tumultuous journey, sound has offered me solace and a means of escape. As a child, it was my refuge; as a professional, it has become a lens through which I understand my city and, ultimately, myself, along with the roots of our ongoing conflicts.

In our region, we often lack the ability to truly listen. Jalal Ad-Din Rumi, a Sufi poet, said in the 13th Century, ‘There is a voice that doesn’t use words. Listen.’

This thought drives my ambition as a sound designer: I seek to capture the ambiances of Beirut and other cities in the Middle East, creating soundscapes that encourage us to listen more closely to the stories woven into our surroundings.

Seminar led by Rana Eid
Saturday, 1 November 2025, 2:00PM-4:00PM (GMT UK)
Online

We are delighted to offer a rare opportunity to join Rana Eid in an intimate, small-group seminar following her online talk of 18 October.

This session is designed as a close, conversational exchange—just 20 participants gathered around a virtual table with Rana to explore her themes and artistic practice in greater depth. It will be informal, personal, and responsive, allowing time and space for genuine dialogue.

This is now a free event, open to those attending her 18 October talk.

Please note: attendance is required. To preserve the immediacy of the event the seminar will not be recorded.

Contact sos@schoolofsound.co.uk if you have any questions

RANA EID was born in Beirut in 1976. She earned a BA in Cinema and an MA in Film Sound from Université Saint Joseph, IESAV, graduating in 1999, and later trained as a sound editor in Paris in 2002. Since 2003, she has worked as a sound editor on numerous Lebanese films, collaborating with a number of acclaimed filmmakers such as Joanna Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, Ghassan Salhab and Mohammad Soueid.
     In 2006, she co-founded DB Studios for audio post-production with composer Nadim Mishlawi, which expanded in 2017 through a partnership with the French company HAL.
     Her work has since extended across the Middle East and beyond, including Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Sudan, Morocco, India, China, Nepal, and Macedonia, with both established filmmakers and emerging talents.
     In 2019, she created the sound design for two films nominated for Oscars: The Cave by Firas Fayyad, and Honeyland by Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stephanov, as well as Hot Milk directed by Rebecca Lenkiewics and The Wave directed by Sebastian Lelio in 2024/25. 
     In 2017, she directed her first feature documentary Panoptic, which premiered at the Locarno Film Festival, followed by festival entries around the world.
     She is a member of the Sound Section in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science and of the Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE). 
     db-studios.net