Official Selections
Underdown
Moving to Beirut’s anarchic rhythm, this documentary follows the struggles of a Palestinian cab driver who lives in his car, a homeless Syrian kid, and a Lebanese woman and her family.
Armenians of the World
Armenians of the World "Armenians of the world" is a documentary that relates the amazing story of a people that endured a lot of injustice and suffering. The pride they take in their identity, their sense of belonging and integration is second to none. To be as truthful as possible to history, the shooting took place in Turkey, Syria, Armenia and Lebanon.
iMigrant Woman
Monologues of migrant women are juxtaposed to tell the various immigrant experiences of women who find themselves in a foreign country away from their loved ones and as the sole means of providing for them. Presented on Zoom in July 2020 with actors and a creative team from seven cities and three continents, made possible only because it was presented on zoom during the pandemic lockdown.
We Made Every Living Thing From Water
We Made Every Living Thing From Water
Heritages
As he flees Lebanon again in July 2006, director Philippe Aractingi realizes that, like him, his ancestors have been fleeing wars and massacres for four generations. In a fresco where photos, archives and home videos of his children subtly interact, he tells the story of his family’s travels through the Levant. A film about exile, memory and transmission.
بكرا منشوف
Tomorrow We Will See"Tomorrow We Will See" offers a window into how ten artists in Lebanon are using art as a tool to question sectarian divisions while encouraging freedom of thought.
The Turn
Ava, a young business woman, has to overcome her prejudice with the help of Tarec, a black homeless man who camps outside her house. This is a film about two very different humans, from very different backgrounds, that come together and experience a change of heart. A powerful message about equality, justice, humanity and a very special friendship that comes out of it.
Shattered Beirut 6:07
Two months after the massive explosion that devastated Beirut, Carol Mansour explores the aftermath of the blast, talking to friends and exchanging reflections on what happened and its implications in candid unscripted messages with feelings of helplessness, frustration and overwhelming anger at the political class.
George Floyd: Say Their Names
The video, filmed in the heart of Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant community, highlights the perspective of women -- victims, witnesses, survivors, and those left behind to address the consequences of police brutality. It represents the action agenda that will be pursued by everyone is seeking real changes by law enforcement in this nation.
Black Lives Matter
Filmmaker Ching Juhl documented thousands of people joining protest and march in New York City, on June 2, 2020. Meeting at Foley Square, near the city hall, people marched through lower Manhattan, Chinatown and rallied at One Police Plaza , NYC police headquarter. "I Can't Breathe!" they shouted.
Black is Black
Black is Black is a short film sparking a much-needed conversation about colorism, a large issue within the black community, as well as many other communities. Colorism is the prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group.
حروب صغيرة
Little WarsOn the eve of the Lebanese civil war in 1974, three characters’ little stories intertwine to make up the plot of LITTLE WARS. Talal, is the son of a feudal lord, who reluctantly steps into the shoes of a war chief after his father. His love interest Souraya, tries to support him and helps him kidnap a businessman. Finally, Nabil, a photojournalist, is posing as a hero when all
REFRACTION
Refraction is an artistic exploration of a human state of mind, as a varying interface in an arbitrary spatial venture, in search of identity.
Home
Student Short - Narrative
The Hangman's Place
Yesterday, a man was murdered in a street, in Cleveland. According to the initial findings of the investigation, several men have been arrested by the police, and among them, a potential witness whose identity is still unknown...
BLACKS ONLY
A apartment rental situation is inversely-affected by a person's race.
Anagnorisis
A Short Film dedicated to the experimentation with loss and doubt through the unique power of body movement.
Manara
A grieving family struggles with their own demons as they try to come to terms with the death of a parent/husband. As the family of three begins to prepare for a wake, cranks in their personality start to show, reflecting that there is more to the recent death of the family patriarch.
Concrete Rose
Marcus a recently released Ex con has difficulties integrating back into his ever-changing community. He quickly becomes enticed to return to his old life but meets an older woman who welcomes him to work in a garden where he finds redemption and peace.
August 4th 2020
August 4th 2020 is a short animated film that portrays the psychological and emotional impact of the Beirut Explosion on its inhabitants' lives.
Legacy
Photographer Mark C. explores his process while reflecting on his viral photo of the Black Lives Matter protest in front of the Trump Tower.
In His Own Home
In 2010, heavily armed officers of the University of Florida police responded to a 911 call from a neighbor who heard screams, broke into the campus apartment of Ghanaian graduate student, Kofi Adu-Brempong and shot the disabled student in the face. This was part of an ongoing pattern of police brutality against Blacks and a stark reminder of increasing militarized campuses.
Right Now I Want to Scream
‘I want to scream’, says the mother of 8 year old Ágatha, shot by the police in Rio, in this film connecting the marginalised black communities of Brazil and Haiti.
Rejoice Resist
Rejoice Resist is a film that celebrates and shows Black Joy and Black pleasure as the ultimate form of resistance. It highlights the importance of allowing yourself to feel joy especially in the face of adversity.
Il était une fois Beyrouth, histoire d'une star
Once Upon A Time In BeirutCelebrating their 20th birthdays Yasmine & Leila decide to visit a renowned cinephile and collector, M. Farouk, to discover a newer known Lebanon. The film leads them on a path of memories and the 2 heroines immerse themselves in the universe of film that has over 40 years, contributed to creating the international image of Beirut as a shining star for over 40 years.
Rebirth of Venus
This experimental film is based on a poem by Noorda about inequality and oppression. He addresses an array of manifestations of oppression causing the exploitation of nature and violation of human rights and especially women's rights. In Noorda's view, all these phenomena of oppression have a common denominator...
The Awakening
In Beirut, a 10 year old Syrian refugee and an 85 year old man with Alzheimers share the same loneliness with no families on either side, until they meet.
Sophia Dawson: PURPOSE
The story of renowned Brooklyn visual artist and activist Sophia Dawson. An intimate and powerful portrait of a brilliant young woman determined to use her creative gifts to enlighten and empower her community.
Sukkar banat
CaramelIn Beirut, five women meet regularly in a beauty salon, a colorful and sensual microcosm of the city where several generations come into contact, talk and confide in each other. Their intimate and liberated conversations revolve around men, sex and motherhood between haircuts and sugar waxing with caramel.
Acts of Resistance: Heavy Metal Music in Latin America
Metal music in Latin America is simply unique. It has tackled head-on the ongoing aftermath of coloniality (poverty, dictatorships, neoliberalism) like very few other musical genres. Inspiring support for rural schools in Guatemala, engagement in environmental activism in Ecuador, and work for memory and peace in Colombia, metal music has become a form of decolonial activism in Latin America.
Dafa Metti
Dafa MettiUnder Paris' glittering Eiffel Tower, undocumented Senegalese migrants sell miniature souvenirs of the monument, to support their families back home. Far from their loved ones and hounded by the police, each day is a struggle through darkness in the City of Lights.
Tramontane
Rabih, a young blind man, lives in a small village in Lebanon. He sings in a choir and edits Braille documents for an income. His life unravels when he tries to apply for a passport and discovers that his identification card, which he has carried his entire life, is fake. Now he must travel across Lebanon in search of his identity.