In the shadow of violence, grave and unpredictable, the Beirut International Film Festival (BIFF) launched last week. But it was forced to truncate its program and welcome fewer guests than anticipated as directors pulled out, citing security concerns. Nevertheless, Colette Naufal, the festival’s founder and longstanding director, managed to clandestinely screen a controversial film by famed-Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf, in which he visits Israel; and launch a new segment devoted to activist movies. She talked with Al-Monitor about how the region’s film industry has changed over the last 15 years, including the effect of the Arab Spring on movie-making. Hint: after a year of virtual silence, she expects to see films coming out of Syria by next year. Read the full interview.
Al-Monitor: What are some of the changes in the Arab film industry you’ve seen since co-founding the Beirut Film Festival?
