Film Festival: “Stimulating fruitful discussions and facilitating knowledge sharing”
Between August 18 and September 2, 2023, the 7th edition of “What remains but to deliver – a film festival on human rights and immigration”, will be held in separate Lebanese cities and towns, in the Bekaa and the south (Saida), as well as in the capital, Beirut. The festival, titled “Our Inherent Rights,” centers around “human rights and migration,” with a special focus on “environmental justice,” according to its official definition, which notes that the festival “recognizes that discussions of environmental justice must take place at both the local and international levels.” taking into account the circumstances of each country and region.
In this new version, screenings (admission is free) are held in the open air, at the end of each of the 3 weeks, “allowing the viewing and discussion of films”, in partnership with local NGOs. The official definition defines the titles of “environmental justice” as: food sovereignty, water management, and climate change. There are experts who will talk about their environmental experiences: “By showing the selected films, the festival hopes to stimulate fruitful discussions, facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experiences, and inspire positive change.” And to ensure a diversity of viewpoints, “the festival cooperates with local partners in various fields in Lebanon,” with whom, by communicating with them, “its organizers aim to include the voices of different regions and communities in the country, and all their experiences.”
Among the selected films, there is “Ashwaik, Song of the Courageous Woman” (2022) by Elena Castler: One summer, the Kabylie region of Algeria is on fire. Then, the women sing their song “Ashweeq”, in the midst of that tragedy, which makes the song an embodiment of suffering. Quite simply, the daily life of the coastal residents, who overcome all sorrows thanks to laughter and joy, is revealed: “(then), the ashes of the earth are transformed into new buds that will bloom (later).”
Also from the same country, and about it, there is “Desertification in Algeria: Rising Sea Levels and the Disappearance of Agriculture” (2022) by Sami Audi: The film is part of a series produced by “Greenpeace” on the impact of climate change in the Middle East and North Africa, and deals with two problems: The sea level, which threatens the coastal city of Tipaza, and the impact of climate change on the palm tree, which is considered the main symbol of Algerian heritage.
Another part of the same series will be shown at the festival, titled “Climate Effects on Coral Reefs in the Red Sea” (2022) by Mostafa Youssef. To it, there is “Couscous: Grains of Dignity” (2017) by Habib Aib: couscous, with its various recipes, constitutes the basic food for all the inhabitants of the Maghreb, and the film focuses on the political, social, economic and environmental conditions for the production of grain and couscous, and proves that the issue of food is at the heart of the issue of human dignity , individual and collective, as well as “the issue of sovereignty and local and national food autonomy”.
“Environmental Justice: Why Feminism and the Earth Are at Its Core?” (2023) by Dalia Othman: After its change, and the impact of change in the environment, economy and society, this issue becomes one of the most pressing issues in the global current. The film raises several questions about the importance of using the term “environmental justice” in the dialogue about climate change, and how the term intersects with feminism and the feminist approach, in an interview with Abeer Saqsouk (research and co-director of the “General Business Studio”).
