The International Society for Performing Arts (ISPA) nominated the Lebanese National Theater’s founder, actor, and director, Kassem Istanbouli, for the UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture in its 19th edition. That is, for the latter’s contribution to reopening closed cinemas in Lebanon, including Al Hamra, Stars, and Rivoli Cinema, in South Lebanon, as well as Empire Cinema in North Lebanon. This is in addition to implementing various theater, cinema, and music festivals; organizing training workshops and carnivals; and promoting the theatric and cinematic movements in the marginalized regions. Istanbouli also works on promoting equivalent cultural development by opening independent cultural forums and having the Peace Art Bus for mobile performances.
For 15 years, Istanbouli played numerous theater performances in over 23 countries and was awarded by Jordan, Vienna, and Egypt. He established Istanbouli Theater troupe in 2008, and contributed in founding Tiro Association for Arts (TAA) in 2014. “Koum Yaba,” “A Picnic on the Battlefield,” “Zanka Zanka,” “Experiencia del Mural,” “The Black House (La casa de Bernarda Alba),” “Margins,” “Mours,” “Stories from the Border,” “School of Dictator,” “The Court of People,” and “Waiting for Godot” are among the performances that the troupe had played, in addition to participating in local and international festivals. In 2009, the troupe won the best artistic work in the Lebanese Universities’ Festival, and then the best actor award in the Toqous Festival in Jordan back in 2013. In 2011, the “Experiencia del Mural” was the first Arab theater performance that participated in the Almagro Festival’s official contest. In addition to this, in 2019, Istanbouli won the Best Theatrical Character award at the Sharm El-Sheikh International Theater Festival in Egypt, and the Intercultural Achievement Award (IAA) in Vienna for the Arab Culture and Arts Network (ACAN) project in 2021, through which the United Nations’ secretary-general, António Guterres, commended Istanbouli’s initiatives during his last visit to Lebanon.
Moreover, Tiro Association for Arts (TAA), which is led by youth and volunteers, aims to establish free and independent cultural forums in Lebanon, as well as implement artistic training workshops for children and youth, open and renovate cultural forums, and organize festivals, activities, and artistic exhibitions. TAA also screens cinematic educational and entertainment films for children and youth and works on maintaining partnerships with international festivals, as well as granting young directors the opportunity to screen their films and let people get acquainted with the history of cinema and local and international performances. The Lebanese International Theater Festival, Watch Lebanon in Mobile Cinema Festival, the Tripoli International Theater Festival, the Tyre International Music Festival, the Tiro International Arts Festival, the Tyre International Short Film Festival, the Tyre International Fine Arts Festival, the Tyre Cultural Days Festival, the Lebanese International Theater Festival for Women’s Monodrama, the Lebanese International Theater Festival for Contemporary Dance, and the Lebanese International Theater Festival for Storytelling are among the festivals that TAA implements.
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