The Heinrich Böll Stiftung Beirut office (HBS) is holding its 6th annual Almost There Film Festival on Human Rights and Migration from 14th of September until 22nd of October 2022. This year’s edition, and for the second year, is set to take place in various locations all over Lebanon. The role we play is our topic of 2022. As usual, the screenings will be open to the general public and free of charge.
We as citizens are more and more discontent with the current situation on various aspects, and rigorously oppose the political ruling classes we are abiding by. At the same time, we are living in countries with free elections, meaning that we are living in democratic countries. Therefore, we are supposed to choose those who rule us. But to be able to choose the governors, we need to be well informed. We need to have access to diverse and contradictory information that allows us to make our own opinion and then make decisions for our lives, individually and collectively. Since we chose –for different reasons-, the wrong people to rule our lives, we are responsible for the situation we put ourselves in. We are responsible for the bad political, environmental and human rights situation. Even if we are not solely responsible for the situation we are in, we play a role in it; indeed a very important one.
The Almost There Film Festival aims at highlighting different perspectives on human rights and migration, including a wide variety of social, environmental, and political questions, in order to encourage discussions around these issues and to support the change that we are seeking. The aim is not only to document human rights violations, but also to focus on the stories of those overcoming such violations, and discrimination illustrated by the 2022 edition of the ATFF films focusing on migration, women’s rights, and the Beirut port explosion.
For the second year, the festival will be held in five separate cities around the country: Beirut, Hammana, the Bekaa Valley, Saida, and Tripoli. Our goal is to introduce these films to new audiences so that they can exchange and debate various viewpoints. Making it the start point of a wider discussion all around the country; one we want to promote both at the festival, and beyond.
For the opening of the festival at Dar el Nimer, Beirut, we will have a round table discussing justice and accountability; especially in Lebanon.
We are waiting for you. Join us to watch, discuss and participate!
About the Festival organizer, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Beirut office
The Heinrich Böll Foundation, close to the German Green Party, is a legally autonomous and intellectually open political foundation. Our foremost task is civil education in Germany and abroad with the aim of promoting informed democratic opinion, socio-political commitment and mutual understanding.
The Foundation supports cultural projects and scholarship programs and works in cooperation with other actors on developmental projects. Heinrich Böll Foundation considers that the main pillars of its work are centered on the political values of its approach when dealing with projects related to ecology, democracy, gender democracy, non-violence, and solidarity. The principles of Heinrich Böll regarding the development of citizens’ participation in political life are the example the Foundation follows when working.
The Middle East office of the Heinrich Böll Foundation opened in 2004. For many organizations and individuals, it has become a partner for activism and formation of networks, provider of international contacts, observers, and analysts in the region.