How Lebanon’s Devastating Banking Crisis Inspired George Clooney-Backed Heist Film 'Furies'

When Lebanese director Rami Kodeih and his co-writer and wife, Nora Mariana, set out to make their debut feature film Furies, they likely did not expect the backing of Hollywood heavyweights. However, George Clooney’s Smokehouse Pictures, run alongside producing partner Grant Heslov, came on board for the project, which was officially unveiled at the Venice Film Festival on September 4.

For Kodeih and Mariana, the appeal of Smokehouse goes far beyond star power. The production company boasts an impressive filmography, including the Oscar-winning Argo, as well as Clooney-directed projects such as The Monuments Men and The Tender Bar. Mariana notes that they deeply admire how Smokehouse crafts universally entertaining films that still carry a meaningful message.

While Kodeih spent three decades in Lebanon building a career in documentary films, Mariana—who has Lebanese roots—hails from Los Angeles. Although the couple has lived in the US for the past decade, Lebanon’s turbulent history deeply impacted them and directly inspired the plot of Furies. When Lebanon’s banking crisis took hold in 2019, Mariana was unable to access her savings to pay for necessary surgery. The traumatic experience sparked a creative outlet, leading Mariana to begin writing the script during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the film, Rym Mroue and Maria Nakouzi star as sisters Maro and Dalia, who become embroiled in the 2019 banking crisis. Facing desperate circumstances—including raising funds for Dalia's life-saving surgery—the resourceful siblings hatch a plan to break into a local bank and steal back their own money.

Drawing inspiration from classic heist films like Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing and the French masterpiece Rififi, the filmmakers were nevertheless determined to shoot on location in Beirut. Mariana emphasizes that capturing the authentic soul and loud essence of the city was irreplaceable. Furthermore, the decision to center the narrative around two strong female protagonists was influenced by cinematic favorites like Ridley Scott’s Thelma & Louise and James Cameron’s Aliens, as well as the resilience of their own mothers.

Ultimately, the core of Furies explores how far one will go for family, reflecting the heartache of watching Lebanon's struggles from afar, including the devastating 2020 Beirut port explosion. As for whether Mariana ever recovered her real-life funds from Lebanese banks, the answer remains no—her family ultimately sold her grandfather’s house to cover her medical expenses, leaving her to prefer how her fictional characters handled the crisis.