DUBAI: When Karim Kassem arrived in Beirut on Aug. 3, 2020 to make a film called “Octopus,” he was quarantined in a hotel overlooking the city’s port. So he settled in, made what preparations he could, and got some rest. The following day his mother joined him and the two of them sat six feet apart on the hotel’s balcony. They chatted, probably drank some coffee or tea, and