The “Tiro Arts Association” and “Istanbouli Theater” opened the activities of the third session of the “Lebanese International Film Festival for Short Films” at the National Theater of Libanus for free in the city of Tripoli, under the slogan “Cinema for All” and a tribute to the pioneers of Lebanese cinema, the late directors Maroun Al-Baghdadi and Burhan Alawiya in the presence of a crowd of parents, students, and representatives from the embassies of Poland, Mexico, Germany, the Philippines , Palestine, Tunisia, and associations and clubs in Tripoli.
This activity comes within the activity “Tripoli, Capital of Arab Culture” with the participation of films from fiction, documentary and animation, with 64 films from 25 countries: Australia, Mexico, Poland, Morocco, Bahrain, Iran, Egypt, Sultanate of Oman, Tunisia, Kuwait, Libya, Finland, Iraq, Palestine, Emirates, Saudi Arabia, India, Syria, United States, Sweden, United Kingdom, Belgium, Macedonia, France, Lebanon, in collaboration with the Dutch Foundation “Dawn”.
Actor and director Qassem Istanbouli said, “Continuing festivals, film screenings, and free training workshops is an important opportunity to meet and an opportunity for the public to learn about different cultures from the world. and today it is the capital of cinema, theater, and the arts in Lebanon and the Arab world.”
Artist Omar Mikati emphasized “the importance of festivals and the participation of films from different cultures of the world, and most importantly, the festival is open to everyone in the National Theater of Lebanon, which is a unique and unprecedented case in Lebanon.” This unique experience over 15 years changed the cultural map in Lebanon and the activities of the marginalized areas in Lebanon.
The Polish Ambassador, Przemyslaw Niszewski, spoke about “the need to hold the festival due to the difficult conditions in Lebanon, and that the work that the Tiro Art Association is doing in opening houses- play and cinemas in Lebanon very important for culture and art in Lebanon, and we are waiting for the opening of the historic Coliseum cinema in Beirut. “
The festival works to support local cinema, cultural exchange, and hosts training workshops, seminars, and talks with directors. This cinematic event allocates a large space for the presentation of films of student projects, since the festival, launched in 2016, is considered a mobile cinematic event that will be held in several cities- great Lebanon, from Tire to Nabatieh, Tripoli, Beirut, and Khiam. Participating films will compete in the festival’s official competition for the awards Best Documentary Film and Best Documentary Film, Best Animated Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Cinematography, and Jury Prize.
