[Imc-beirut] Beirut Filmfest Resurrected; MakeFilmsNotWar.org Launched

[info at makefilmsnotwar.org]

>BEIRUT FILMFEST RESURRECTED; MAKEFILMSNOTWAR.ORG LAUNCHED
>
>Beirut, Lebanon--After a two-year hiatus caused by war and political unrest, 
>the Beirut International Film Festival makes an unexpected return October 4-11 
>thanks to the efforts of the Lee & Gund Foundation, which is sponsoring it in 
>conjuction with the launch of the foundation’s new initiative: 
>MakeFilmsNotWar.org
>
>During the darkest days of the summer, it seemed unlikely that the festival 
>would take place at all. With the Beirut airport closed, the country 
>blockaded, and infrastructure destroyed, it seemed likely to be postponed 
>until better days were at hand. But, as foundation president George Gund 
>explained, that made it all the more important that the festival go on this 
>year, as an affirmation of the resilience of the people of Lebanon, as well as 
>an act of resistance to war.
>
>“Cultural resistance is as important as any resistance,” said Iara Lee. “We 
>decided to come forward when we saw all these rich Lebanese supporting the 
>Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art and thought, why not 
>the Beirut International Film Festival? Rather than point fingers we decided 
>to help out. It's not just about funding though. Film can be a great 
>catalyst.”
>
>In tandem with the Beirut festival, the foundation has launched Make Films Not 
>War. Grounded in the universal principles of human rights, the campaign works 
>in cooperation with filmmakers, human rights advocates, diplomats, academics, 
>and others to devise bold and creative strategies to foster dialogue and to 
>create nonviolent alternatives to armed conflict. It has also established a 
>Conflict Zone Film Fund that will provide support for film projects that 
>engage talented and politically aware filmmakers from opposing sides of the 
>world's diverse conflict situations. A statement issued by MFNW calling for 
>diplomacy and political engagement has been endorsed by prominent directors, 
>actors, and other film professionals.
>
>The Beirut International Film Festival opened on October 4 with Spanish 
>director Pedro Almodovar's eagerly anticipated new film “Volver,” starring 
>Penelope Cruz. This year’s line up includes such critically acclaimed new 
>films as Stephen Frears’ “The Queen,” starring Helen Mirren and Michael Sheen; 
>Bent Hamer's “Factotum,” starring Matt Dillon, Lily Taylor and Marisa Tomei; 
>and “Paris, je t’aime,” a collective homage to the City of Light directed by 
>Gus Van Sant, Alfonso Cuaron, Gerard Depardieu, and others. More than two 
>dozen other films from the Middle East and around the world round out the 
>program, which closes on October 11 with Egyptian director Marwan Hamed's 
>popular and controversial “The Yacoubian Building.”
>
>After Beirut, the Make Films Not War campaign will be taken to other cities 
>around the world, including Jerusalem, Teheran, and Lahore, to encourage 
>dialogue and creative alternatives to war.
>
>For more about Make Films Not War, please see http://www.makefilmsnotwar.org. 
>For more about the Beirut International Film Festival, please see 
>http://www.beirutfilmfoundation.org/meff06/index.html.