Filmmaking workshops: fifth done

The fifth film making workshop of the project Creative expression through film taking place in Tripoli during Ramadan contributed to a very special atmosphere in a city which highly welcomes cultural initiatives like this one.

It was organised in collaboration with SADA Playback Theatre, a Tripoli non-profil organisation that focuses on using social theater and art for community building in marginalized areas. A record number of 75 persons from Tripoli and surrounding areas applied for participation in this workshop.

The workshop with eight participants chosen out of the 75 applicants took place in Marsah, a cultural open space in the inspiring neighbourhood of El-Mina, right on the Mediterranean Sea.

“The most significant impact on me was learning how to evoke emotions in people through the videos I create.”, one of the participants, Manar Halimeh, described her experience.

The Taabir workshops use film expression and embrace diversity by targeting people from various regional, social, cultural and educational backgrounds and ages living in Lebanon. Each participant was given a semi-professional camera and a monopod or tripod. Under the guidance of the trainers and film experts Yara Nashawaty and Corine Shawi, they gained experience in recognising and developing their own film language by shooting short individual video diaries. The eight chosen participants in the age range from 21 – 32 years started working creatively, filming and discussing – and everyone wanted the workshop to last longer than those five designated days.

“During the first two days of the workshop, I found myself putting too much pressure on myself while filming. However, by the third day, I had a revelation”, said Rim Rafei, another participant, “I simply needed to be authentic and let myself feel the shot. The analysis session further solidified this realization for me. This workshop taught me the value of patience. I learned to wait for the perfect moment, understanding that this patience would positively impact my work.”

At the end of the fifth day, some 30 people out of the participants’ family and friends, their community and representatives of the local partners attended the screening at Marsah showing a collection of the video diaries produced. Everyone was invited to join us for Iftar, the breaking of the fast on every Ramadan’s evening.

The project “Creative Expression through Films” is implemented by elbarlament e.V. and funded by the German Federal Foreign Office. Find out more about it here.

You can read more about our previous workshops here. Ten workshops will be organised in total within the framework of this project.