Israel’s aggression in Lebanon cast a shadow over the Tripoli Film Festival, with organizers announcing the cancellation of the closing ceremony originally scheduled for Wednesday evening and opting instead to simply announce the results of the competition.
Mutia Hallaq, the festival’s media officer, said: “Since the launch of the 11th edition of the festival, our message has been clear, which is to strengthen solidarity with the South and occupied Palestine and support filmmakers, which embody the spirit of humanitarian and cultural cooperation and represent an important part of the cohesion of the artistic community in our region.”
She added: “Due to the dire situation and ongoing massacres in Lebanon and Palestine, the Tripoli Film Festival organizing committee has decided to cancel the closing ceremony where the winning films will be announced and the awards will be presented.”
The winning films are as follows:
– Karim Ben Salah won the Best Feature Film Award for Six Feet Over for the quality of his artistry and unconventional narrative, as his work was described as a film of exceptional artistic quality due to his ability to move through harsh scenarios with great precision and his ability to choose wise methods to create dramatic transformations of the characters.
– Karim Qasim’s “The Third” won the Best Documentary Award. The jury considered the film to be awarded for its artistic sensitivity, its unique rhythm and the way people think about the crisis in a fresh and cinematic way.
– The Best Short Film Award went to LES CHENILLES, directed by Noel and Michel Keserwani, because, according to the jury, it uses multiple layers of representation that reflect an attractive narrative style, achieving a compelling cinematic narrative where the means of women’s oppression are transformed into tools for their liberation and where the power of human bonds and the affection of others unite individuals.
– Rana Rashid’s TOUCHED won the Best Animated Film Award because “the director tackled a fundamental and important topic that is often talked about in a very short time, but she managed to present it in a unique and innovative way.”
The reason for the judgement was that the story “prompts a man to question his own life, the lives of those around him, and even the life of the things he deals with every day, and the film attracts and leaves the audience affected by it” and is popular for a long time after the screening due to its sincere and unique touch. “
– The Special Jury Prize for Feature Film went to Mohamed Kordofani for his film Goodbye Julia, which depicts a modern cinematic story in which private concerns are intertwined with public ones, full of sweetness and high artistry.
– The Special Jury Prize for Short Film went to Dina Nasser for AMPLIFIED, which “delves into the silent world of its protagonist and her refusal to become a victim when she is harassed, addressing this sensitive topic through harmonious storytelling and strong sound design.”
The jury could not ignore four feature films and shorts that deserve special mention: “Needle” by Abdelhamid Bouchnak, “The Tedious Journey of M” by Hend Bakr, “The Vow Album” and “The Tedious Journey of M” by Elio Tarabay, “A Wonderful Excuse for Sin” by Hend Bakr, and “A Wonderful Excuse for Sin” by Hashem Sharaf.
As for the Arab Short Film Support Platform Award, it was given to Sherine Karam and Elie Njeim. And Sherif El-Bendari.
The festival kicked off last Thursday with a big party at the House of Arts.
In his speech, festival founder Elias Khalat addressed the ban on screening of certain films, explained the censorship laws and affirmed solidarity with the South and beyond, as “the crisis is growing and we are very much in the South, from Beirut to the far south and beyond, especially reaching Baalbek. We are not in a good situation across the country, as many festivals have been cancelled, but despite this we express our solidarity with filmmakers in Lebanon and other countries. “We have the highest respect for the Palestinians who fight to tell our stories. “
