Letter From Khaled Khalifa to his friends around of the world
My friends, writers and journalists from all over the world, in China and Russia, I would like to inform you that my people is being subjected to a genocide.
Reel Festivals
A celebration of film, music and culture from areas in conflict
Guest Blog
My Arab Spring
Guest Author: Bill Drummond
The Arab world is tearing itself apart. Civil unrest and revolution is breaking out from sea to shining sea. From the Atlantic coast of Morocco, to the gentle waters of the Persian Gulf, as they lap the shores of Bahrain, a distance of more than 3,000 miles. Governments are toppling, regimes that have been in place for generations crumbling. No one knows which country will be next. Or what the lay of the land will be like in one year’s time, let alone in ten years. All that can be certain is, there will still be a lot of desert.
And me? I’m in Beirut, Lebanon, sitting in a small dusty street cafe sipping Coca Cola through a straw, listening to the sparrows and making these notes.
Gathering Herbs and Dreaming
Guest Author: Amy Hardie
Why doesn’t everyone put music, film and poetry together?! You can look, you can listen, you can get lost in dreams in dark rooms. And drink. And dance. And in my case, find three people who immediately say ‘yes, sure’ to going to an unknown destination in mountains above Beirut to meet an unknown herbalist…
From Beirut to Edinburgh
Guest Author: Hady Zaccak
The discovery of Scotland started in Beirut with film screenings and a very dynamic concert at the Music Hall. Then the time came to meet Edinburgh “in person” through Reel Festivals. Magic, history, myths and positive energy ruled the place. Real Cinema and Reel Festival were merging at the Film House. It was like being [...]
OkyDoky & RadioKVM in Edinburgh
Guest Author: OkyDoky
Scottish Whiskey, fish n chips, and the wicked BIG GIG at Studio 24 on the 20th (the bass was so hard in that place, it was really like when I’m in my spaceship leaving earth’s atmosphere, yeah!). We came on around midnight and I don’t remember ever coming off. In fact we may still be there in a parallel dimensional string…
2 Untitled Poems
Guest Author: Tom Pow
We are honoured to be able to present two new pieces of work from Scottish Poet Tom Pow as a response to his experience of taking part in Reel Festivals 2011. These poems will feature in a forthcoming e-book of Reel Festivals poetry and are currently being translated into Arabic. The titles of these two poems both refer to a Reel Festivals’ poetry panel event held in Beirut, ‘Crossing Borders / Bearing Witness’. For more information on this event please see the Daily Star review here
Reel Meaning
Guest Author: Andrew Philip
It really is time I blogged about the Reel Festivals reading at the Scottish Poetry Library on Friday 20 May. But how to sum it up? As I said on Twitter, and I can think of no more apposite description. Among all the anxiety about why poetry is marginalised in our culture, against all the [...]
Syrian Poet Golan Haji Podcast
Guest Author: Golan Haji
Syrian poet Golan Haji joins Reel Festivals poetry coordinator Ryan Van Winkle in Beirut as part of the cultural collaboration festival of poetry, film and music Reel Festivals. Presented by Ryan Van Winkle. Produced by Colin Fraser. Music by Ewen Maclean. mail: splpodcast@gmail.com Twitter: @anonpoetry and @reelfestivals
Bill Drummond / The17 in Beirut
Guest Author: Reel Festivals
Reel Festivals was honoured to host one of our great inspirations, Bill Drummond, in Beirut as part of Reel Festivals 2011. Here he talks about his inspiration for The17, his experimental, participatory, transitory choir project. Bill Drummond also gave a piece of graffiti to Beirut as part of Reel Festivals. It says ‘Imagine Waking up [...]
Preview interview with Reem Ali
Guest Author: Reel Festivals
We caught up with Syrian filmmaker Reem Ali, fresh off a flight from Damascus, for a brief chat in the Filmhouse in Edinburgh. Reem’s film Zabad (Foam) will be shown on Wednesday 18th May, 18:00 at the Filmhouse in Edinburgh.
