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.”

Naufal went on to say  that “far from focusing on the great Hollywood tradition, the 2015 edition followed the global trend and selected titles that tackle the consequences of globalization, migration flows, social integration and the resurgence of nationalism.” In addition, “this year’s program includes other styles, such as neoclassicism, science fiction, drama, animation films and more.”

BIFF President Alice Eddé and Mr. Habib Khoury, Société Générale Bank representative, in its capacity as the BIFF official Partner, also took part in the press conference during which Naufal explained that the 80 films on the festival agenda feature a broad cultural variety and were made by directors from 28 nationalities. They are divided over two competitions, the Middle Eastern Short Film and the Middle Eastern Documentary, in addition to two other sections, the international Panorama and the Public Square. The Middle Eastern Feature Film category will once again be absent this year.

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