The recent Reel Festivals in Lebanon and Scotland was an intense, inspiring experience, and we’re still processing what happened along the way. Like all best laid plans, there was a huge amount of fluidity and unexpected crossovers. The first and most challenging issue we faced was the developments in Syria leading to both our festival [...]
Reel Festivals
A celebration of film, music and culture from areas in conflict
Reel Collaborations
The work below, all of which is free to download and share, is the result of collaborations that took place during Reel Festivals 2011. Alongside the events of the festival, many of the artists involved were getting together and working on new pieces of music, writing and films. We are immensely thankful to Creative Scotland for making this new work possible through the Vital Sparks funding, to the British Council for their sponsorship and ongoing support and to the Scottish Poetry Library and all Reel Festivals supporters. We hope you enjoy exploring this new work that’s come out of Reel Festivals 2011.
Reel Music
Ghazi
Ghazi – Dj Dolphin Boy
Beirut traffic sounds and old Lebanese music samples fuse with Shooglenifty playing live in Lebanon
Empty Beach
Empty Beach – Dj Dolphin Boy Soundscapes recorded on the Lebanese coast mixed in with a jam session in a Beiruti apartment along with Lebanese Love poetry
Deraa
Deraa – DJ Dolphin Boy Based on recordings of an unnamed Syrian ‘Oud player that features on an old Record Society disc
Reel Speaks
I Chose to Listen
This free to download e-book features brand new English and Arabic poetry translations from collaboration and performance with the Reel Festivals poets.
From Syria, Golan Haji and Rasha Omran, from Lebanon, Yehya Jaber and Mazen Maarouf and from Scotland, Tom Pow, Emily Ballou, William Letford and Ryan Van Winkle, along with beautiful Arabic Calligraphy by Everitte Barbee.
We are immensely thankful to Creative Scotland for making this book and all these outcomes possible through the Vital Sparks funding, to the British Council for their sponsorship and ongoing support and to the Scottish Poetry Library, Literature Across Frontiers and all Reel Festivals supporters.
Recent News
25th
May 2011
18th
May 2011
Syrian Directors in Edinburgh and Poetry in the Forest
Today is a big day for Reel Festivals. We have films, poetry and music on today, all of it in Edinburgh for the first time and all of it beautifully crafted and a joy to be able to present. The film today is our first Syrian film in the programme, Zabad (Foam) by Reem Ali, [...]
5th
May 2011
Reel Festivals on Radio!
Reel Festivals was recently featured on two radio programmes. Mazen Maarouf and festival coordinator Dan Gorman were on Good Morning Scotland today. Listen to what they had to say (starts at 1hr45m33s). They talk about our events in Lebanon and Scotland. We also featured on a short programme broadcast on EURadio Nantes in French. To [...]
27th
Apr 2011
Reel Festivals 2011 Lebanon/Syria/Scotland – April Update
There’s less than 2 weeks until the opening of Reel Festivals 2011 in Lebanon, and 3 weeks until the opening in Scotland, so there’s a lot to tell you.
20th
Apr 2011
Refocus – Exhibition in Edinburgh during Reel Festivals
We are very happy to announce another great event as part of Reel Festivals 2011. We will be hosting an exhibition of photographs taken by children and young people during Refocus workshops held in Syria. Refocus is a grassroots organisation running participatory photography courses for minority groups and marginalised people.
The exhibition will be held at the Filmhouse Cinema and runs from 16.5.11 until 12.6.11.
