{"id":17798,"date":"2025-10-02T09:50:59","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T06:50:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/?p=17798"},"modified":"2025-10-02T10:23:24","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T07:23:24","slug":"here-elsewhere-centering-swana-voices-on-screen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/here-elsewhere-centering-swana-voices-on-screen\/","title":{"rendered":"Here & Elsewhere: Centering SWANA Voices on Screen"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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This is the first edition of Here & Elsewhere. What inspired you to launch a short film festival now, and why in Beirut?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>

Making a film is expensive! And securing grants or funding is rarely straightforward, especially when you are a filmmaker from the SWANA region or part of its diaspora. Too often, grant boards are politically inclined, preferring to manipulate or reshape stories from the region before they agree to support them. This is why building systems by the community, for the community is so essential: so that our stories can be told authentically and our films can come to life freely – or at least as smoothly as possible. That is exactly what this festival sets out to do.<\/span><\/p>

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It all began when Palestinian filmmaker Fateema Al-Hamaydeh Miller, based in Toronto, reached out to Lilith – co-founder of the festival and a Barcelona-based producer – for fiscal support to produce her debut feature film,\u00a0Amwaj<\/i>. Lilith then contacted me, and what started as Fateema\u2019s desire to create a sense of community around her film and its making soon blossomed into a much larger idea: a three-day festival program in Beirut dedicated to supporting and celebrating SWANA filmmakers.<\/span><\/p>

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Beirut felt like the only place this first edition could happen. It\u2019s where I grew up, where I learned filmmaking and film programming, and where the people and stories that shaped me continue to live. It\u2019s also where Lilith spent her formative years before moving to Spain, and she had always wanted to return to collaborate on a project rooted here. Together, we built\u00a0HERE & ELSEWHERE<\/i>\u00a0from that shared connection and shared vision.<\/span><\/p>

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This first edition supports\u00a0Amwaj<\/i>\u00a0and marks the beginning of a long-term mission: to spotlight a new director with every edition and to keep SWANA filmmakers and their stories at the heart of everything we do.<\/span><\/p>

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Your mission emphasizes representing voices once silenced. How do you see this festival creating space for inclusivity and diversity within the SWANA film community?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>

We are showcasing stories that we wish we saw more often on screens. Artists from here and even elsewhere deserve space for their complexity: their contradictions, their rage, their tenderness, and their joy, without being reduced to stereotypes or filtered through external expectations. By centering filmmakers from the SWANA region and its diaspora, we aim to build a platform that reclaims the narrative power to tell our stories on our own terms. Inclusivity, for us, means creating a space where a multitude of experiences can coexist, challenge each other, and ultimately reflect the richness and diversity of our communities.\u00a0<\/b>The films programmed in this first edition embody that mission fully.<\/span><\/p>

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<\/b>Many of the films you’re showcasing resist the typical images of despair often imposed on the region. How did you approach curating stories that center joy, resilience, and cultural vibrancy?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>

We were very intentional about choosing films that go beyond narratives of despair and victimhood. Joy, resilience, and cultural vibrancy are powerful forms of resistance too, and we wanted this edition to reflect the full spectrum of our lived experiences; not just our struggles, but also our creativity, strength, and everyday life.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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A post shared by Here & Elsewhere Film Festival (@hereandelsewherefest)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n