(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) BEIRUT, Oct 13 (KUNA) -- Amid modest Arab presence, the 16th edition of Beirut International Film Festival came to a close on Thursday evening with an award ceremony.
"Robert," by the Lebanese director Ghina Abboud, was awarded as the best documentary while "Motorcycle," by Mohammed Al Holayyil, of Saudi Arabia, and "Pale Mirrors," by Salem Salavati, of Iran, shared the SGBL award for the best short movie.
The award for the best director documentary was given to "Overruled," by the Iranian duo Farnaz and Mohammadreza Jurabchian.
The Jury Special Mention Documentary Award was given ex-aquo to "This Is Exile," by Mani Y Benchelah, of Algeria, and "Love," by Waddah Al-Fahed, of Syria.
The audience vote award for the best feature film went to "Letters from Baghdad," by Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum.
The award for the second best short film went to "The Next One," by Gunduz Sevdi, the third best short film award "The Holy Pole," by Elie Chahine, and the jury special mention short film award to the "South Pole," by Emin Akpinar.
Speaking to KUNA on the fringes of the award ceremony, Basem Al-Haj, in charge of information, said the Arab films that took part in this year's edition of the festival reflected the reality of the situations in the region.
"The Arab cinema industry has made a good progress in the recent years thanks to the Arab filmmakers who studied abroad and gained experience from renowned directors," he said.
Al-Haj commended the participation of directors from Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Morocco, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
However, he said that the Arab cinema industry still needs greater potentials in terms of production and freedom of expression.
He added that the festival provided an opportunity for the Lebanese and Arab audience to watch the latest production of the international cinema industry, noting that many of the films screened at the event are not available at commercial movie theaters.
The festival, which opened on October 5, featured 74 films in various categories from the Arab region and boyond.
The festival saw the jury canceling the feature film competition for the Middle East due to the current conditions in the region. (end) wsm.gb