First Workshop in the Chouf – “Creative Expression through Films”

The TAABIR – Film Expression workshop series in Lebanon kicked off last Monday, 24 July with a 5-day workshop with seven selected and highly-motivated participants aged 15-26, who live in and around Batloun. In this workshop, conducted by the trainers and film experts Yara Nashawaty and Corine Shawi, they gained experience in identifying and developing their own film language by filming short individual video diaries.

The workshop was organised in cooperation with Sarmada Association in Batloun. Founded and directed by Zaher Kais, Sarmada works to raise awareness about culture in the Chouf.

“The workshop was filled with shooting exercises and exciting homework assignments. I felt excited to wake up in the morning and shoot again. I spent a lot of time contemplating each exercise.” described Bassem Al Bitar, one of the participants. Lara Racheed, another one of the participants, said, “I finally found a value in what I saw and what I showed and expressed through the lens, and learned to appreciate each picture and scene.” ”As a challenge, this workshop forced me to step out of my comfort zone.” added Bassem Al Bitar, “This workshop marked the beginning of my career and served as my starting point for a new journey.”

After five intensive days, the workshop ended with a one-hour screening of selected video diaries for the local community and participants’ families and friends.

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