Lifestyle
7.20.2021
Beirut International Women’s Film Festival reopens
After a year’s absence from the international cultural scene due to the health crisis that has spread throughout the world, the Beirut International Women’s Film Festival is back! Since yesterday, and until July 23, this fourth edition will be the opportunity to bring some joy to the local population, still too weakened by the difficult challenges they had to face.
“Despite the difficult conditions, we still hope for a better tomorrow, which is why we have tried to organise a regular normal edition in the cinemas” says Sam Lahoud, director of the Festival, with emotion.
Aimee Boulos in the spotlight
Last year’s cancellation only strengthened the organisers’ determination to make this event the must-attend event for film buffs. So this year’s physical event is keen to continue the tradition of previous years: honouring the leading figures of the local film and art scene.
And this year, the opening night spotlight was on Aimee Boulos, founder of Beirut’s Monnot Theatre and an important figure in Beirut’s Liban Cinéma Foundation, which has brought alternative cinema to a wider audience.
Over 90 short films in a few days
From Brazil to Turkey and Vietnam, more than 90 short films, feature films, documentaries and animations from around the world will be screened at the LFA-Cinema Abraj in Beirut as part of the Beirut International Women’s Film Festival.
“Lebanese audiences love to discover new experiences. Especially those that they can’t see in mainstream cinema, where it’s popcorn films or blockbusters” says the event’s director.
Female directors or films with a female tone
While the name of the festival may be misleading, this edition is not intended to show only the works of female directors, but also to screen the year’s 7th art hits that have some form of “female theme”.
The director has made noble efforts to restore the balance of female representation in the Lebanese film industry over the years, but he also forces us to look not only at the actresses but also at all the forgotten women standing on the technical side and in management positions.
“We found that women in cinema are not well represented on the technical side and in management positions” he says. “So there is an imbalance in this area and one of the missions of the festival is to raise awareness of this gap”.
Discover the full programme of this new edition.
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