Photo Flash: The International Theatre Festival in Lebanon Launches With Opening of the Renovated Stars Cinema

The International Theatre Festival in Lebanon was launched Augest 8th in Nabatieh. Present were Efraz Al-Haj representing the minister of culture, Rabie Shaddad representing the ministry of tourism, the head of Nabatieh Municipality, Ahmad Kahil, the Italian cultural attache Edoardo Crisafului, the French cultural atache Eric Lebice, a delegation from Reje headed by Nasif Seklawi, General Hussein Hasan representing the general director of Internal Security Forces and the people and students from Nabatieh.

The launching started a street carnival that had its last stop at Stars Cinema that was renovated after being closed for 27 years. This is the first time that the city of Nabatieh witnesses a theatre festival with local, Arab and international troupes. At the opening there was music, scouts show and a martial arts show in additions to exhibition of old photography, archival Arabic and international cinema posters, old cinematic facilities. After that, a short documentary about the renovation of the cinema by the students of Istanbouli Theatre and volunteers from Nabatieh was screened, then a word to the festival from the famous Spanish playwright Fernando Arabal was read by his countrywoman the director Ana Cendrero Alvares. " A salute to Lebanon, Nabatieh and Istanbouli theatre for opening a cultural space for people at a time when the world is witnessing the closure of some of its theatres. I congratulate you for this cultural wedding that challenges a regime. I wish I could have been with you", stated Arabal. Efraz Al-Haj said that we are bearing witness to the emergence of a special cultural phenomena in Lebanon with the spread of Istanbouli Theatre's team from Tyre to Nabatieh that is creating cultural venues, making festivals and training young people from marginalized areas. "The ministry of culture believes in this as it works on the parallel cultural development all over Lebanon. Istanbouli Theatre is an experience that should be generalized because it is a national project and nations are built through culture", continued Al-Haj. "This event is a promotion for cultural tourism in the south as we have here people coming from Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Iraq, Argentina, Slovenia, Syria and Palestine and it is a reactivation of theatre in Lebanon as it gathers shows from different places", said Rabie Shadad. Ahmad Kahil on his part considered that engaging young people in this project activates the municipality's role in cultural development and marks Nabatieh at the cultural map in Lebanon, and that we are witnessing a cultural renaissance and and a kind of resistance based on arts.

Kassem Istanbouli said: our second theatre festival is made by volunteers who gave a rebirth to this space and approve that for a cultural project to be achieved what is needed is not a huge amount of money but rather it needs is belief, love and energy. This festival changes the equation as it moved from the south to the capital. Thanks for all those who participated and supported this endeavor at the time when we don't have plans for support the youths of Lebanon.

The first show to be staged was "Sonata Lead". It touched upon the maze of war and bullets that is hitting the Arab World through absurd and tragicomedy. The text of the play was written by Hussein Juwier and it was directed by Jamil Alraga, and the actors participating were Ahmad Shawki and Nour Hamid.

The festival will go on till august the 26th with an official competition and the awards will be for best actor, best actress, best director, best scenography, best playwright, and the Hasan Kamal Al-Sabah for the best play. The juries are the director Kadhem Al-Nassar from Iraq, The director Raad Said from Kurdistan, and Dr. Watfa Hmadeh from Lebanon.

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