As a teenager growing up in Beirut, Lebanon, Abboudi would walk the streets of Beirut collecting what otherwise would be trashed: Movie posters, lobby cards, post cards, newspaper, and much more. What really began as a hobby shifted unknowingly to him amassing a huge collection of posters and print, which would have otherwise been lost to history. 

Now, more than fifty years later, he has over 20,000 original vintage Middle Eastern movie posters, press books, pictures and has curated multiple exhibits. Along that journey, he documented, researched and wrote an award-winning book on Lebanese cinema between 1929-1979, effectively filling a gap in the region’s knowledge of art and culture in Lebanese film epoch. 

Abboudi is dedicated to preserving and guarding the pop culture of Lebanon and the Middle East at large. He hopes that his archive proves as a remembrance of the art, culture and society the Arab and Middle Eastern world posses, and for it be preserved for future generations to come.