In 2005, two dozen rolls of undeveloped 35mm film were deposited at the Arab Image Foundation in Beirut, Lebanon. Stored in a bespoke wooden box, each film was carefully wrapped in protective foil and enclosed in individually fitted drawers. It turned out to be the work of a Lebanese banker and the photos were taken in 1950’s Beirut. Laying dormant until their discovery and development by paula in 2015, the photographs document the banker’s lovers and friends, a secret narrative beyond the strict conservative conventions of 1950s Beirut. The mysterious atmosphere in the photographs evokes a photo-roman noir including road trips, jet flights, and secretive hotel room encounters. Was he creating a narrative? Or did these events just take place naturally in and around a glamorous pre-war Beirut?