Beirut Greek Film Festival

The Beirut Greek Film Festival organized by the League of Lebanese Graduates from Greek Universities, LLGGU, sponsored by Société Générale de Banque au Liban, SGBL, made a second appearance at the Metropolis Empire Sofil this past week.

Greeks and Phoenicians have had a long history with one another that has produced a strong cultural bond; we see this bond in such events as this. Every day from October 28 until the 31st, audiences enjoyed a Greek spectacle with French or English subtitles.

The LLGGU aims at maintaining strong bonds between Lebanon and Greece and the best way to do that is through knowledge; introducing the culture, empathy strengthens ties. Upon viewing the movies. you realize that LLGGU achieved its target as each short film gives you the chance to take in a completely different background; however, it was all Greek to me.

The Greek scenery lingers in the background of these films; the sea, the fields and the old houses. These films are experimental and convey more controversial messages than the main stream productions we are fed all the time. In “House of the Olive Trees” for example, Anna and Markos run naked through an orchard, thereby liberating their animalistic instincts.

These ethnic films that Sofil hosts every so often come as a breath of fresh air for a segment of the Lebanese audience, the sophisticated one; they are also part of what makes this city a capital for culture. Just as the ancient Greeks and Phoenicians traded goods in the past, today the trade survives in the form of cultural goods.