First UN Film Festival in Lebanon and Region
First UN Film Festival in Lebanon and Region
Source : UNDP Lebanon
08-Nov-2016
The UN System organized the first UN Film Festival in Lebanon and the region on November 4 and 5 in Gemmayzeh Theater in Beirut to mark the UN Day 2016. This innovative event - considered a first with respect to UN Day celebrations in Lebanon -attracted hundreds of people from various backgrounds, who flocked to the theater for two days to watch movies that spoke to the UN’s work globally, regionally and locally.
Under the slogan “UN and Lebanon: Common Goals”, the Festival proved to be a great success based on the positive reactions of people who expressed interest in the movies that were screened and who enjoyed watching the work of the UN depicted through the lens of filmmakers.
The Festival dressed up the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the “TOGETHER Respect, Safety and Dignity for All” campaign, launched in September by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. All 13 movies that were screened reflected those basic UN priorities, and indirectly created a forum of exchange among the public, the UN and the movie industry.
At the opening ceremony, UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Ms. Sigrid Kaag, said that this year the UN System in Lebanon is celebrating UN Day in a different and interactive fashion through a Film Festival. “The purpose is to show that obviously a visual is so much more powerful than all the other words that we use or speak in the course of the year,” she added. “The messages of the UN – which are very much shared with the Lebanese people, Syrian refugees or Palestine refugees – are of rights, belonging, nationhood, development, prosperity and equal chances.”
The opening movie was “The Crossing” that revolves around the journey of a group of Syrians fleeing war and persecution by sea in search of a home in Europe. They made it to Europe, only to find out that the hardest part of their journey still lies ahead.
The movie was followed by a Q&A session moderated by UNHCR Representative in Lebanon, Ms. Mireille Girard, who discussed with the audience their impression about the movie and the sufferings of Syrian refugees. She highlighted the TOGETHER campaign and encouraged people to overcome their misperceptions on refugees and migrants and replace it with hope, calling for a wide participation in this campaign.