During a ceremony held at the Faculty of Fine Arts and Architecture – Branche II – at the Lebanese University, the award for the Best Visual for the Beirut Art Film Festival 2019 (BAFF) was offered to Dima Fayad, student in the 2nd year of Bachelor at the faculty, Department of Graphic Design and Visual Communication.
Present to the ceremony were the Dean of the faculty Dr. Mohammad El-Hajj, the director of the faculty Dr. Antoine Charbel and the head of the department Patricia Bacha.
The prize, amounting to 1,000 USD, was graciously offered by BAFF donors: Robert A. Matta Foundation, and Anne-Marie & Alexis Habib Foundation.
Dima Fayad said: “The theme of the poster revolves around the keywords of “Beirut Art Film Festival” and its theme, Leonardo da Vinci. The idea was to combine these elements in a playful way: Mona Lisa, one of Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, is being filmed midst Downtown Beirut, in front of a scenery that showcases the city’s essence, and presented as the star of a film”
Despite the crisis affecting the country, the organizers of the Beirut Art Film Festival continue to move forward in leaps and bounds, and thanks to the tremendous support of BAFF patrons and partners, to the growing enthusiasm of the Lebanese public, and to the many lessons of courage and perseverance given by men and women of the art world through the history of humanity.
The jury members for the best visual 2019 of Beirut Art Film Festival competition included : Elisabeth Gilgen (Première collaboratrice, Embassy of Switzerland), Monica Zecca (Director of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura), Gabriel Sistiaga Ochoa De Chinchetru (Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Spain), Ghada Waked (Photographer and university teacher), Joumana Rizk (Managing Director, MIRROS Communication & Media Services), Maria Chakhtoura (BAFF organizer & Journalist), Alia Karam (BAFF team member), Souraya Karam (BAFF team member) and Alice Mogabgab (BAFF Founder).
This competition was successfully launched 2 years ago and targeted senior year advertising and graphic arts students from different universities. The following were invited to take part in the competition: Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK), American University of Beirut (AUB), Beirut Arab University (BAU), Lebanese American University (LAU), Antonine University, Haigazian University, Lebanese University, Notre-Dame University (NDU), Al Kafaat University (AKU), University of Balamand, and the Modern University for Business and Science (MUBS).
The 5th edition of BAFF celebrates The year of Leonardo da Vinci which marks the 500th anniversary of his death.
The festival will take place from November 1 till 30, 2019, for the first time & exclusively in all universities campuses theaters, in Beirut and across Lebanon. The documentaries on art will be screened, free of charge, for the public.
The program of the 2019 edition will be announced in October 2019 during a press conference, on the social media channels of the Festival, as well as on its website and newsletters.
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