Tuesday, October 17, 2023. BAFF’s last press conference took place four years ago, on October 17, 2019. Since then, Lebanon has been sinking and getting bogged down in an implosion at all levels, imposed by a guilty political elite that holds corrupt, worm-eaten and tentacular power. This financial collapse, unprecedented in modern history, is spreading and paralyzing the social and, above all, the intellectual arenas. At BAFF, we reject and stand up against this slow-induced death sentence, and consider it urgent and essential to resume the battle for change.
Culture is not a weapon, nor is it entertainment; culture is the delicate interweaving of truth with beauty, of past with present, of frail with timeless; culture is the universal plot into which human intelligence plunges in order to sharpen itself; to find the strength to refuse to bow to the rule of the strongest, be it political, religious or economic. Culture nurtures independence; it fosters and defends freedom.
It is with great confidence that we choose freedom as our motto for this 9th edition of the Beirut Art Film Festival – BAFF.
Confidence, but also modesty, because if we take a good look at our country, engulfed by disaster, beyond the deceptive and outrageous appearances, whole swathes of our society find themselves deprived of all means, condemned to misery, and consequently to submission.
With very limited means, loyal partners and convinced sponsors, BAFF chose, after a four-year interruption, to reach out not only to all the schools in Lebanon, but also to the inhabitants of the various regions; and thus to pursue its cultural commitment initiated since its foundation in 2015: to share with the Lebanese, all over the country, films and conferences; not only on their heritage, but also on every form of universal artistic expression that French philosopher Gilles Deleuze defines as follows: “Art is that which resists; it resists death, oppression, infamy, shame.”
At a time when our country’s identity and very existence are threatened, and in order to support the resilience of many Lebanese, BAFF suggests revisiting throughout this 9th Edition, the battles waged by men and women, past and present, from Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Poland and Lebanon, and particularly Trablous which will be celebrated by BAFF in January 2024, to preserve dignity and keep the hope of a free future, alive.
From October 1 to December 30, 2023, all schools in Lebanon are invited to screen La Bataille du cèdre in their classrooms. The film tells the extraordinary story of one man, Dr. Youssef Tawk, who is working alone to revive Lebanon’s cedar forests. It’s the astonishing story of a humanistic struggle to safeguard part of the Lebanese identity, but also to protect an exceptional legacy.
In partnership with the Ministry of Education and with the support of the Association Philippe Jabre, this film will be also screened, from November 7 to 17, at the Amphithéâtre Leïla Turqui of the Bibliothèque Orientale, and followed by guided tours of the Library.
From November 7 to 17, 2023, the central event of BAFF Edition 9 will take place at the Théâtre Béryte, on the campus of the Institut d’Etudes Scéniques Audiovisuelles et Cinématographiques – IESAV of Beirut Saint-Joseph University – USJ, with 16 films, 11 speakers, 2 lectures and 1 exhibition. By locating BAFF’s central event within the Saint-Joseph University, we have chosen the best partner for transmitting creation to the younger generation, as well as to get closer to the large and varied USJ family along with BAFF’s loyal audience. Solidarity with students: all proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the USJ Foundation, for the benefit of IESAV students.
Our warmest thanks go to the Lebanese companies who are supporting the USJ Foundation for BAFF 9, by graciously donating drinks and snacks to be sold by students for the proceeds of university scholarships. Thanks to Ixsir wines, Almaza beers, Rifai nuts, Pepsi and 7UP sodas, Aquafina water and anonymous donors.
At the end of November, the USJ Foundation and IESAV will announce the exact amount of sales made between November 7 and 17.
This Edition 9 of BAFF would not have been possible without the extremely supportive action of the Lebanese sponsors to our cause:
- Khalil Warde S.A.L.,
- Association Philippe Jabre,
- Saadallah & Loubna Khalil Foundation,
- Willis Towers Watson Lebanon.
THE FESTIVAL PROGRAM.
Because art is the most beautiful universal framework between men, because a festival about art is the most beautiful expression of friendship between humans, we thank all our cultural partners for their support for this 9th Edition:
- Embassy of Switzerland to Lebanon & Syria,
- Embassy of Belgium & Wallonie Bruxelles International,
- Embassy of the Republic of Poland,
- Istituto Italiano di Cultura,
- Instituto Cervantes,
- Office National du Film du Canada,
- Al Jazeera Documentary,
- Abbout Productions.
In partnership with the Embassy of Belgium & Wallonie Bruxelles International
- Le testament de Manet, Belgium, a lecture by Dr. Thierry De Duve and JAP. 2023, 90′, French ;
- Chapeau d’artiste,Belgium, 2023, 18′, Nathalie Rossetti, Fr./Eng. sub. ;
- La vie en kit,Belgium, 2022, 69’, Elodie Degavre, Fr./Eng. sub. ;
In partnership with the Embassy of Switzerland to Lebanon and Syria
- Last Dance, Suisse, 2022, 84’, Delphine Lehericey, French/Eng. sub;
- Pyotr Tchaikovsky Sleeping Beauty, Zurich Opera House – Switzerland, 2022, 128’, adapted to Junior Ballett Zürich by Christian Spuck, filmed by Accentus Music.
In partnership with Istituto Italiano di Cultura – Beirut
- Perugino. Eternal Renaissance, Italie, 2023, 80’, Giovanni Piscaglia, English version ;
- Perugino 500. To mark the 500th Anniversary of the Italian artist Pietro Perugino, Istituto Italiano di Cultura is showcasing a 15-poster retrospective exhibition on the life and work of Raphael’s master. USJ Humanities Campus, IESAV building, October 17 to November 17, 2023. English and Italian.
In partnership with the Embassy of the Republic of Poland,
- Chopin. I am not Afraid of Darkness. Three Countries. Three Wars. One Music. Poland, 2022, 60’, Joanna Kaczmarek, O.V./Eng. sub.;
with the support of Khalil Wardé S.A.L. World Première.
In partnership with Instituto Cervantes,
- Goya, Carrière and the Ghost of Buñuel, Spain/France, 2022, 90′, José Luis Lopez-Linares, Fr/Eng. sub.;
with the support of Khalil Wardé S.A.L.
In partnership with Khalil Wardé S.A.L., creative journeys to India and Japan,
- The Promise. Architect B.V. Doshi, Germany, 2023, 90’, Jan Schmidt-Garre, O.V./Eng sub.;
- Mantles of Transience, Japan, 2022, 96’, Nagaru Miyake, Jap/Eng. sub.;
In partnership with Khalil Wardé S.A.L and Abbout Productions,
- The Golden Fireflies Award to Eliane Raheb. In recognition of her cinematographic work committed to the memory of war and promoting a fairer society, the BAFF organizers will attribute the third edition of the Golden Fireflies to Lebanese director Eliane Raheb, on Wednesday 8 November at 21:30, during an open garden party at the Jardin de la Francophonie.
- Men in Front of Camera! Masterclass with Eliane Raheb, moderated by Hady Zaccak, 120’, Arabic. Monday November 13 at 20:00.
In partnership with Abbout Productions,
- Saga Rassam- Berri. The Family : le cinéma dans les veines, France, 2023, 90’, Florent Maillet & Michel Denisot, Fr./Eng. sub.
In partnership with Al Jazeera Documentary,
- Elias Rahbani – ثالث الرحابنة, Lebanon/Qatar, 2023, 80′, Feyrouz Serhal, Arabic. Lebanese Premiere.
In partnership with IESAV,
- CineVoyage; IESAV’s Senior Movies, Lebanon, 2022, 3 films of 20 minutes each directed by IESAV graduated students.
In partnership with Office National du Film du Canada, BAFF Edition 9 will be launched with the fascinating epic journey in the footsteps of ink and its magnificent shades, on Tuesday November 7 at 19:00.
- The Colour of Ink / La couleur de l’encre,Canada, 2022, 105’, Brian D. Johnson, O.V./Eng. sub.
We would like welcome the Festival International du Film sur l’Art du Canada – Le FIFA, and its Executive and Artistic Director Philippe Ulysse del Drago, for initiating in May 2023 the Films on Art Network, an international network of art film festival professionals, joined by Lebanon through BAFF.
Philippe Ulysse del Drago will participate, via Zoom, in the opening ceremony of BAFF 9.
The book and everything relating to it, from ink to the manuscript, from the library to the archives, from the author to the reader, from paper to digital, from poetry to philosophy… 3 films and a centennial are featured in this Edition 9:
- Au-delà du papier, Canada/ONF, 2022, 130′, Oana Suteu Khintirian, original version/French subtitles; in partnership with the National Film Board of Canada and Bibliothèque Orientale USJ;
- Umberto Eco: a Library of the World, Italy, 2023, 80′, Davide Ferrario, original version/English subtitles; in partnership with Khalil Warde S.A.L. and Bibliothèque Orientale USJ;
- The Poetess, Saudi Arabia/Germany, 2017, 58′, Stefanie Brockhaus & Andreas Wolff, Arabic/English subtitles; in partnership with the Saadallah Foundation and Loubna Khalil.
In partnership with the Saadallah Foundation and Loubna Khalil, and to wrap up Autumn 2023, dedicated to books, poetry and philosophy, and on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Gibran Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet, the BAFF organizers have commissioned Lina Abiad, stage director, and Dr. Alfred El Khoury, specialist in classical Arabic poetry, the production of a series of 4 performances bringing Gibran’s text into conversation with archaeological objects from the AUB Museum.
The Prophet 100 at AUB Archaeological Museum, from November 28 to December 28 2023, weekly performances. Every Tuesday at 16:00, 2 performers, invited by Lina Abiad, will offer an archaeological reading of The Prophet, establishing dialogue between thousand-year-old Near Eastern civilizations artefacts and the 1923 text by Gibran Khalil Gibran. By appointment only, 60’, English and Arabic.
The Prophet Centennial celebrations will continue throughout 2024, in the Oriental Library and in the Gibran Museum…
The Winter-Spring 2024 season will be announced on December 21, 2023. With 16 films spread over 38 screenings, 9 lectures with 23 speakers, and 3 exhibitions. The BAFF will no longer take place online but in person and in the following 10 cultural venues:
- Al Rabita El Sakafia – Trablous
- Bibliothèque Orientale de Beyrouth – USJ
- Center for Art & Humanities – AUB
- Centre Culturel – Tibnine
- Centre de Lecture et d’Animation Culturelle – Bint Jbeil
- Ehden Stairs – Municipalité de Zgharta
- Gibran Museum – Becharre
- Hammana Artist House
- Ishbilia Theater – Saida
- Municipality of Zahle – Zahlé
IN SUMMARY.
On the eve of its 10th Edition, the Beirut Art Film Festival – BAFF is proud to have signed, despite all the crises that Lebanon has gone through, 9 editions with 342 films and more than 900 screenings. From the Empire Sofil cinema to Zoom sessions, from university campuses to regional cultural centers, from schools to Saint-Joseph University, I would first like to thank all the journalists who supported us, but I would also like to ask the Lebanese audience and foreign visitors to our country to take part into this festival, to let themselves be carried by the cameras of talented directors and to dialogue with the questions raised by the worldwide artists about our humanity; the experience is certainly more edifying than what we are experiencing today.
In the meantime, HAPPY FESTIVAL TO EVERYONE!