The "Tiro Association for Arts" and the "Istanbuli Theater" launched the tenth edition of the "International Tyre Short Film Festival" under the slogan "Cinema for All" at the "Free National Lebanese Theater" in the city of Tyre, featuring films that range from fiction to documentaries and animations, with 29 films from 18 countries participating, including Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, France, Iran, Syria, Bahrain, Switzerland, the United States, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Palestine, Italy, Jordan, China, Egypt, and Lebanon. This was done in collaboration with the Swiss Drosos Foundation.
Representatives from "UNIFIL," the Tyre municipality, the Sudanese embassy, and the French cultural center in Lebanon were present at the opening, alongside the director Fouad Sharafeddine, actor Omar Mikati, and directors participating in the festival from various Arab and foreign countries. The film "To the Light," about the rehabilitation of the "Ambar" cinema and the establishment of the National Lebanese Theater in Tripoli, was screened.
Qassem Istanbuli, the founder of the National Lebanese Theater, stated, "The continuation of festivals, film screenings, and free training workshops, despite all the crises around us, represents an important opportunity for meeting and for the audience to learn about different cultures from around the world, making art a right for all, always fueled by the passion of young volunteers working for art."
At the conclusion, the festival administration honored the actor and director Sharafeddine in recognition of his artistic and cinematic career. The participating films are competing in the official competition for awards for Best Narrative Film, Best Documentary Film, Best Animated Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Cinematography, and the Jury Prize, which includes Spanish director Ana Alvarez, Sudanese director Nasir Youssef, and Lebanese directors Murial Abu Rous, Walid Mounes, Fadi Seriani, and Shadi Zidan.
The festival aims to support local cinema, promote cultural exchange, and organize training workshops, seminars, and discussions with directors. This cinematic event dedicates significant space for showcasing student projects, becoming the first cinematic event in the history of the South since its first edition in 2014, with 24 films from 20 countries participating, and in the presence of Egyptian actor Mahmoud Qabil, director Jocelyne Saab, and director George Nasser.
The Tiro Association for Arts, led by young volunteers, aims to create free and independent cultural spaces in Lebanon by rehabilitating Hamra Cinema, Stars Cinema in Nabatieh, and Rivoli Cinema in Tyre, which have transformed into the National Lebanese Theater as the first free theater and cinema in Lebanon, alongside Ambar Cinema in Tripoli, which has also transformed into the National Lebanese Theater in Tripoli. They organize artistic and technical training workshops for children and youth, reopen and rehabilitate cultural spaces, and arrange festivals, activities, and art exhibitions. Their programming includes artistic and educational screenings for children and youth, the establishment of exchange networks with international festivals, and the provision of opportunities for young directors to showcase their films and introduce the public to the history of cinema and local and global exhibitions. Among the festivals they have established are the International Lebanese Theater Festival, the "See Lebanon" Mobile Film Festival, the International Tripoli Theater Festival, the International Tyre Music Festival, the International Lebanese Theater Festival for Storytelling, the International Tyre Visual Arts Festival, the Cultural Days of Tyre Festival, the Lebanese Theater Festival for Women's Monodrama, the Lebanese Theater Festival for Contemporary Dance, the International Tiro Art Festival, and the International Tyre Theater Festival.
