BEIRUT | iloubnan.info –
The 15th edition of the Beirut International Film Festival (BIFF) will open on October 7 with The Little Prince, an animation movie by Amercian director Mark Osborne, based on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s famous novel. The festival will close on October 15 with He named me Malala, by Amercian director Davis Guggenheim, an intimate portrait of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, to be released in the United States on October 2, and internationally on November 5.
BIFF Director Colette Naufal held a press conference at downtown Beirut’s Le Gray Hotel on Wednesday, saying: “The current situation in Lebanon and the image generated by foreign media coverage have had a negative effect on BIFF. This has had an impact on the presence of guests, many of whom have decided against coming to Beirut.” However, “the jury should be co-presided by French-Argentinan writer and director Santiago Amigorena and Brazilian-American director Jonathan Nossiter", she said. Jury members are: American writer Michael Greenberg, Austrian Film critic and journalist Alexandra Zawia, and Tunisian-Russian director and actress Doria-Svetlana Achour. However, the presence of all these figures now hinges on the developments.”