Directed as a short film, between documentary and fiction.
Light as time.
The house is followed as the sun crosses it, from first light to last.
The camera moves as a body moves.
Approach, threshold, turn, pause.
Scale in both directions.
Wide enough to hold the land the house answers. Close enough to see how a thing was made.
Stillness is allowed.
Some shots hold long enough for the room to change on its own.
Aerial shots only where the ground asks for them.
A slope, a ridge, a valley. Never as an opening flourish.
The land is heard before the house is seen.
Wind, insects, water and distance, recorded where and when they belong.
Every room has its own acoustic.
Stone, glass, timber and courtyard each sound different, and the series lets you hear it.
An original score, written for the series.
It carries the visitor from curiosity to belonging, and stays out of the architect’s way.
Silence is used on purpose.
Some passages are only the house.
Elegant
Nothing is added that the house does not need.
Monumental
The house lands with weight: in the frame, in the cut, in the sound.
Curious
The camera asks before it concludes.
Mature
Simply told, never simplistic. The audience is trusted.
Cultural
Architecture in the company of art, design, performance and film.
One work per house.
Each episode may commission a painting or a sculpture made in response to the house, installed and declared on screen as a commission. Nothing else in the house is arranged for the camera. The commission is the one exception, and it is named.
Lebanese architects, beyond Lebanon.
A second season follows the work of Lebanese architects abroad: the same format, carried to houses they have built on other ground, in other climates, for other ways of living.
Producer | Director
Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Ryan Kay grew up immersed in an environment of aesthetics, owing to his architect father, Jihad Khairallah, and designer mother, Nadine Roufael. This early exposure to design, coupled with his passion for music, contributed significantly to his creative growth.
Kay's debut in the film industry was marked by his self-written and directed sci-fi short film, COALESCENT. The film achieved international recognition, securing awards in Beirut, London, Madrid, Arizona, and Los Angeles, thus marking Kay as an emerging talent in the global film landscape.
His films are characterised by a unique blending of complex character development, detailed visuals, and immersive soundscapes, reflecting his musical and architectural influences.
With every project, Ryan Kay commits to crafting a holistic viewing experience that seamlessly taps into his audience's perception of the world.
He compels them to watch, observe, and experience the film.
COALESCENT (2021) | 5th (2025)
