NNA – “LOYAC Lebanon” celebrated the graduation of thirty young men and women, out of fifty, who participated in the fifth “Loyac Film Camp 2022” program, which was implemented in cooperation with the “Beirut Film Institute” and in partnership With “Platform Studios”, with the aim of supporting youth energies in Lebanon, of all nationalities and backgrounds, from film students to young people passionate regarding the world of cinema and aspiring to produce their short films professionally and professionally.
The closing ceremony culminated in the launch of the first cinematic screenings of five short films at Grand Cinemas, ABC – Verdun, following it qualified for the final stage of the program, following a full year of free training workshops that contributed to empowering the participants and enhancing their technical and creative skills. In the field of filmmaking, scriptwriting, decoration and artistic design, photography, directing, production and montage.
After receiving the winners and a number of Lebanese filmmakers, actors and artists on the red carpet, the ceremony began with a painting from the streets of Beirut under the title “Be”, which embodied the names of the victims of the harbor explosion, and came as a tribute to their souls, as a continuation of the “LOYAC” campaign launched following August 4 August 2020, under the slogan “Rise up, Beirut”, in support of the affected families.
On the impact of a poem by the late Kuwaiti writer and poet Ahmed Al-Saqqaf, entitled “Lebanon, Country of Creativity” delivered by the participant, poet Zenobia Zaher, the film screenings were launched, so that each film, within 10 to 15 minutes, simulated bold topics and issues, expressed the concerns of the Lebanese and resident youth, and embodied their energies. And his talents in the field of acting and cinema. The winning films varied between three feature films, including “Hani” by Alex Sassin, “Yalla Namam” by Aseel Abu Ahush and “Khalil” by Sarah Safi El-Din, and two documentaries entitled “My Body Eats Me” by Marina Farhat (production) and Stephanie Tadros. (Director) and “The Place” by Fatima Razai (Production) and Haneen Haider (Director). As for its titles, it touched on the issue of abortion, women’s rights and gender issues, special needs and child psychology.
The ceremony concluded with a special tribute to the able actress Takla Chamoun for her participation in the lead role in the movie “Hani”, which won the “Beirut Film Institute” award for best cinematic achievement. The participation of Marina Farhat was also announced as winning the Best Film Award by the audience’s vote (Audience Choice Award), as the film tells the story of her life, who suffers from a rare disease known as scleroderma. For the occasion, she received a monetary award and a shield of appreciation. The official ceremony also witnessed honoring the participation Sarah Safi El-Din as best director, Nagham Darwish and Hassan Zbeeb for the best photographer award, Rana Hayek and Alex Sassin as best screenwriter, Jennifer Haran and Alex Sassin as best producers and Maya Khairallah as best producer “Editor”. Certificates were distributed to all participants.
In her comment, the Director General of LOYAC Lebanon and the camp founder, Nadia Ahmed, pointed out that “LOYAC has contributed, since its founding in 2002 in the State of Kuwait, to providing excellent opportunities for young people to express themselves in a constructive manner. Time has proven that cinema is an important and effective art in Moving peoples, effecting change and achieving community development, and one of the most beautiful features of cinema is that it is a collective art, and this is what falls within our vision to create conscious, empowered and effective generations.”
She added: “Loyac Film Camp was launched in 2015, and in its fifth session, it allowed the trainees to attend seminars and film festivals and acquire creative skills from senior Lebanese veteran filmmakers, including director and actor Mounir Maasri, director Wissam Sharaf, director Assad Fooladkar, producer Pierre Sarraf and director of photography. Rachel Aoun, along with Stephanie Khoury, who helped train the participants on how to write films, and Suha Choucair, who took charge of enhancing their abilities in editing and post-production guidance.
Ahmed expressed her pride in “the five films produced, which were distinguished by exceptional craftsmanship and uniqueness, which opened the horizons for the participants to enter the world of cinema through its wide door and launch their true path.” She said: “Today we celebrate a beautiful achievement and promising young cinematic voices. We also celebrate five films that are the result of a whole year of effort, diligence, training and follow-up, and any achievement in light of the current challenges in Lebanon is considered a miracle,” noting that “over the past years, the program has produced More than 25 short films between Lebanon and Kuwait, and contributed to empowering more than 120 new talents in the field of cinema, with its many specializations.
She revealed that “LOYAC” is regarding to present these films to be shown in local, regional and international festivals, as they address important and vital issues. Also, one of the distribution companies offered to distribute some films on the most important Arab and international platforms.” Ahmed pointed out that “each film is the result of the efforts of an integrated staff, consisting of approximately ten participants, who varied between Lebanese, Palestinians, Syrians, Iraqis and Yemenis, who listed their concerns, obsessions and aspirations, adding To a participant from Senegal and another from Afghanistan who were stuck in Lebanon following the fall of the capital, Kabul, under the control of the “Taliban” movement, so she named her film “The Place”, hoping to “launch a sixth cycle of the program by next year.”
Commenting on the victory of her film, Marina Farhat, a graduate of business and media management, who also masters the Turkish language, expressed the importance of the wonderful experience she had through the “Loyak” camp, which gave her high self-confidence and enhanced her communication skills, saying: “I decided to enter the field of cinema, I specifically chose to write the script and then write regarding my life and my rare disease.”
And the 32-year-old continued: “I wanted to raise awareness regarding the disease “Scleroderma” and the need to detect it early, especially since I did not discover it until three years later. In showing the human being inside me and touching the hearts of the viewers and making them laugh, as our suffering was similar in certain aspects, instead of being satisfied with winning their sympathy.” Farhat concluded by expressing her pride and happiness, that her movie “My Body Eats Me” won, along with the Audience Choice Award, “the most precious award for my heart”, with three other awards between screenwriting, photography and editing.
============== OMR
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