Filming began in 1980, and the first stage was completed in September 1981. The film was shot between the Sabra, Shatila, Bourj el-Barajneh, Ain al-Hilweh and Rashidieh refugee camps. During filming Malas lived in the camps and conducted interviews with more than 400 people. However, the Sabra and Shatila massacre of 1982, which claimed the lives of several people he interviewed, shocked Malas and he stopped working on the project. "I was paralyzed with grief and anxiety for the friends I had made. I had to do something else and so I turned my attention to "City Dreams"," Malas reportedly said of the event. The critical success of his feature film, "Ahlam al-Madina" ("Dreams of a City"), allowed him to return to the project after five years. In 1986 he edited the many hours of footage he had into a final cut of 45 minutes.