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.

The first and most important relates to Syria. As a result of the ongoing events in Syria over the past 5 weeks we have had to make the difficult decision to postpone our events there. We did this after speaking to partners in the country and we all agreed this was not the right time for a festival there. Our thoughts and our hearts are with the people there, and we hope to do them proud with our festival, through showing a selection of Syrian creative work, as well as hosting Syrian film-makers, poets and musicians during the festival in Lebanon and Scotland. We also hope to return to Syria soon to host events and will keep you posted.

Below is an update about events in Lebanon. For those of you in Scotland, we’ll be sending out an update soon, but for now please have a look at the programme of events here

Lebanon

The festival in Lebanon will be our first events outside of the UK, and we’re really excited to be working in Beirut. We’ve think the programme is going to be a hugely exciting mix, from the Scottish techno-folk music of Shooglenifty, through to a wide variety of great Scottish cinema at the Metropolis Empir Sofil, via cutting edge poetry workshops with Syrian, Lebanese and Scottish poets at Saifi Urban Gardens and futuristic music events with Bill Drummond at the University of St. Joseph.

Here’s a full listing of what we’ve got coming up:

CINEMA:

Mon 9 May    20:00 Film: Rivers and Tides + Peter in Radioland + ID
Metropolis Empire Sofil (5.000LL)

An extraordinary journey into the world and mind of Scottish sculptor
Andy Goldsworthy, who uses materials from nature to make site-specific
works. + short films from Scotland

Followed by Reel Festivals Opening in Metropolis Empire Sofil, please join us for a drink after the film!

Tue 10 May 20:00 Film: Gregory’s Girl + Old Enough to Know Better
Metropolis Empire Sofil (5.000LL)

Gregory’s Girl is a Scottish Classic. Ask almost any Scottish person
what their favourite film is and this will be it. Focused on the
sixteen year old Gregory, an awkward, lanky Scottish lad who is in the
midst of the throngs of puberty and his attempts to reach the object
of his affection: Dorothy.  + short film from Scotland

Wed 11 May      20:00 Film: The Edge of Dreaming (+ Director for Q&A)
+ MA Bar Metropolis Empire Sofil (5.000LL)

Combining spectacular footage with interviews and animation, The Edge
of Dreaming follows a Scottish woman through a life-affirming struggle
for survival, from science to the daily strains and pleasures of
ordinary family life. Director Amy Hardie will be present for Q&A
following the film. + short film from Scotland

Thu 12 May 20:00 Film: Hallam Foe + Caring for Callum (+ Director for
Q&A) Metropolis Empire Sofil (5.000LL)

The seventeen year-old Hallam Foe is an unusual teenager who misses
his mother, who committed suicide, drowning in a lake nearby their
house in Edinburgh after an overdose. This is an award winning quirky
film accompanied by an animated sequences by visual artist David
Shrigley. + Short film – Caring for Callum (Director Lou McLoughlan
will be present for Q&A following the film)

Fri 13 May      20:00 Film: The Wicker Man + And So Goodbye Metropolis
Empire Sofil (5.000LL)

The Wicker Man defies genre classification: it is a horror musical
about a law abiding young police sergeant who travels to a remote
Scottish island when he hears of the disappearance of a young girl. As
the young policeman delves deeper into the events that are unfolding
on the island, he discovers mysterious things he wishes he had never
seen or encountered. + Short film from Scotland

Sat 14 May 20:00 Film: Seachd: The Inaccessible Peninsula Metropolis
Empire Sofil (5.000LL)

Seachd is the first feature film made entirely in Scottish Gaelic,
the indigenous language of Scotland, being shown with Arabic subtitles
for the first ever time. With stories from the whole swathe of Gaelic
history of poisoned lovers, bloody revenge, water-horses and Spanish
gold this will be unmissable!

MUSIC:

Tue 10 May      21:00 The Golden Hour – Lebanon Saifi Urban Gardens (Free)

Reel Festivals 2011 features a touring poetry event, beginning in Lebanon and winding up in Scotland with Syrian, Lebanese and Scottish poets. Over the course
of this tour there will be translation workshops, poetry readings,
panel discussions and more. Come along to Saifi Urban Gardens for the
first ever Lebanese installment of The Golden Hour, a cabaret of
poetry, short films and music featuring Yehia Jaber, Tom Pow, Emily Ballou, Racha Omran, Ryan Van Winkle, Mazen Maarouf, William Letford and Jolan Hajji, as well as music from Mikel Krumins and more TBA.

Sun 15 May 21:00 Reel Music – Shooglenifty Music Hall (30.000 LL,
available in advance from Virgin Box Office 01- 999 666)

For the first time ever in Lebanon – Scotland’s premiere
techno-ceilidh fusion dance band: Shooglenifty
Combining traditional Scottish music and instruments such as banjo,
fiddle, mandolin and drums, with others including darbuka, electric
guitars and electronic synthesizers, Shooglenifty bring you a wild
uptempo mix of Scottish folk talent melding heritage and hedonism into
one unbreakable whole.

Wed 11 May     12:00  Bill Drummond / The17 Divide & Combine +
Lecture  IESAV, University of Saint Joseph (Free)

Bill Drummond has been the best selling musician in the world, burnt
£1,000,000 as an art piece and written a manual of how to have a
number one record. His energies are now all focused on a choir called
The17 (http://www.the17.org/). Bill Drummond will give a lecture on
his ideas about the future of music at the Theatre BERYTE, IESAV,
University Saint Joseph, Beirut. Lecture followed by Score 327 –
DIVIDE & COMBINE. To take part email dividecombine@reelfestivals.org

DISCUSSION:

Wed 11 May 18:00Poetry Panel – Crossing Borders/Bearing Witness Saifi
Urban Gardens (Free)

What border, real or imagined, do poets have to cross and to what, in
her own life or in that of others, should a poet bear witness? Be part
of a discussion with Reel Festival poets from Scotland, Syria and
Lebanon about these questions/ideas by registering by email at
poetry@reelfestivals.org or visit Saifi Urban Gardens.

Thu 12 May  12:00 Workshop: The Storytelling of Cinema with Amy
Hardie IESAV, University of Saint Joseph (Free)

This workshop follows the screening of the film ‘The Edge of
Dreaming’ on 11/05/2011. This film has a lot of space for the audience
to bring in their own perspective and this workshop is an opportunity
to bring your own experiences to the filmmaker Amy Hardie, as well as
an opportunity to learn and use some traditional Scottish spiritual
practice – the Celtic bardos –  and trace their parallels with cutting
edge neuroscience.

Hope to see you there!

Reel Festivals