European Film Festival Awards Best Short Film to Lebanese Students

On the closing of the 19th European Film Festival, the Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon, Ambassador Angelina Eichhorst, awarded on Sunday the Lebanese Students Best Short Films Prize to Un Grand Film by Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya and Derrière-moi les oliviers by Pascale Abou Jamra, a press release said on Monday.

Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya is a graduate of l'Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts. The jury has praised the humor and the well-knitted plot of “Un Grand Film” as well as the performance of its leading actor. Jean will be invited to the Oberhausen International Short Film Festival in Germany in 2013.

"Derrière-moi les oliviers" by Pascale Abou Jamra, a graduate of l'Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts. The jury has chosen the film for its aesthetic beauty and the quality of its script. Pascale will be invited to the Film Festival Premiers Plans at Angers in France in 2013.

Nineteen short films, presented by ten Lebanese audiovisual schools, were screened at the European Film Festival (Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts, American University of Technology, American University of Science and Technology, Lebanese American University, Notre Dame University, Université Al Kafaat, Université des Pères Antonins, Université Libanaise, Holy Spirit University Kaslik and Université Saint-Joseph).

The jury was composed of: Lisa Giacchero, in charge of the cinema program at l'Institut français du Liban, Eduardo Navarro Carrion from Instituto Cervantes, Etienne Misat from Metropolis Association, Colette Khalaf in charge of the cinema page at L'Orient-Le Jour, and journalist Zeina Antonios.

The award ceremony was followed by the screening of the two winning shorts and of "The Wall", a short by director Odette Makhlouf who won the Best Short Film Script at the European Film Festival in 2010.

Ambassador Eichhorst said: "Tonight, I can tell you that I am particularly pleased that the Lebanese public responded positively by attending the 19th European Film Festival in a friendly atmosphere.

“The festival has brought together an audience from various backgrounds: movie-goers, students, people who are curious to discover European cinema, and children. The audience was sometimes enthusiastic and sometimes critical, but always interested to discuss the films…this encourages us to go further and do better".

She added: "The shorts have allowed the public to discover a panorama of young Lebanese filmmakers who have shown courage, originality and sensitivity".