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.
Reel Festivals
A celebration of film, music and culture from areas in conflict
Guest Blog
Night Train from Beirut – Next Stop: Edinburgh!
Guest Author: Dan Gorman
We’ve just got back from Beirut and had an amazing time! Thanks to everyone who hosted us and came along to the events, you made it an incredibly special experience for everyone who took part. It would be a difficult task to try and pick my top event, so instead I’m going to talk about [...]
Gold Star Glitter in my Hair + Arabic version
Guest Author: Emily Ballou
Poet, screenwriter and novelist Emily Ballou blogs about a week of ephemeral beauty, of the power of rain and of friendships forged in poetry and music. It’s Friday the 13th and it’s pouring with rain in Beirut. I woke in the night with the sound of furniture being moved over my head and it took [...]
Syria comes to Scotland and Lebanon
Guest Author: Reel Festivals Syria
Reel Festivals in Syria co-ordinators Itab Azzam and Jack Macinnes reflect on what might have been and look forward to Scotland. The big news is that we’ve decided to spring a surprise on you all by holding Reel Festivals in Syria in Lebanon. Yes, thanks to security forces beyond our control we are co-ordinators of [...]
Jumping around the Continents
Guest Author: Shooglenifty
Shooglenifty are masters of a wild uptempo mix of Scottish folk talent melding heritage and hedonism into one unbreakable whole. They share their thoughts ahead of their very first trip to Lebanon.
On The Road To Damascus + Arabic version
Guest Author: Bill Drummond
Reel Festivals is honoured to be hosting the brilliant musician and artist Bill Drummond in this years festival. Below is a post he wrote when we were planning on hosting events in Syria during this festival. We still hope to return to Syria at some point in the future, and will try and help him [...]
Beirut in Spring is a white rose in Scotland’s winter bouquet
Guest Author: Ryan Van Winkle
Ryan Van Winkle, Reader in Residence at the Scottish Poetry Library, widely published poet and compere of Scotland’s premier literary event, The Golden Hour, shares his Top Five Reel Festival Moments so far in order of awesomeness.
Dancing the Reel Festivals jig
Guest Author: Tom Pow
Scottish poet Tom Pow, multiple award winner, creative writing lecturer and former writer in residence at both the Edinburgh International Book Festival and StAnza: Scotland’s International Poetry Festival, looks forward to the next week in Lebanon with Reel Festivals.
Translating the world
Guest Author: Emily Ballou
Glasgow-based Australian-American poet, screenwriter and novelist Emily Ballou reflects on her upcoming visit to Lebanon and how various kinds of translation feature prominently in her work. Leaving on Friday for Beirut as part of Reel Festivals Lebanon though sadly, no longer Syria. I will be sorry to miss Damascus. I am most thrilled to have [...]
Why Syria, Lebanon and Scotland?
Guest Author: Dan Gorman
Reel Festivals Coordinator Dan Gorman tells us the story behind Reel Festivals. The first question anyone asks me about the festival is ‘why would you link Syria, Lebanon and …Scotland?’. So there may be no clear geographical or historical link, but since Reel Festivals was first conceived in Kabul, Afghanistan we have dreamed of doing [...]
