From red carpet glitz to directors galore, the Beirut International Film Festival (BIFF) hit the silver screen this year from 1 October 2014 to 9 October 2014. Back for the 14 th edition, it showcased many cinematic delights as part of its diverse program which featured different ‘ selection ’ categories: Panorama (movies from around the world), Middle Eastern Film Competition (documentaries, features and shorts), Spotlight on Mark Cousins, Roberto Rossellini Retrospective, and Rejection Front (mainly movies about ecology, the environment, and other issues).

BIFF kicked off with Clouds of Sils Maria, directed and written by Oliver Assayas. World famous actress Juliette Binoche was present at the grand opening night.

Photo of Colette Naufal, Juliette Binoche and Julie Gayet taken by BIFF photographer, Zeinoun Naboulsi .

Like every year, many directors were present during film screenings (such as Hong Khaou- Lilting and Richie Mehta- Siddarth ), leading to lively discussions. In addition to the vast array of movies, several master classes inspired budding local talents trying to get ahead in the industry.

The closing film that followed the glam Aleph Award Ceremony was A Most Wanted Man, directed by Anton Corbijin. This film was also the last Philip Seymour Hoffman ever starred in before his untimely death. Actor Homayoun Ershadi was present.

The jury members this year were:

,
, President: Julie Gayet,
, Alesia Weston,
, Homayoun Ershadi,
, Joëlle Touma,
, Mike Goodridge,
,

And the winners were:

,
  • BEST FEATURE FILM “The Last Winter” by Salem Salavati
  • JURY PRIZE FEATURE FILM “Giraffada” by Rani Massalha
  • BEST SCREENPLAY FEATURE FILM “The Last Winter” by Salem Salavati
  • SGBL AWARD – AUDIENCE VOTE BEST FEATURE FILM “The President” by Mohsen Makhmalbaf
  • BEST DOCUMENTARY “Challat of Tunis” by Kaouther Ben Hania
  • BEST DIRECTOR DOCUMENTARY “Challat of Tunis” by Kaouther Ben Hania
  • SPECIAL JURY PRIZE DOCUMENTARY “Syria Inside” by Tamer Alawam
  • BEST SHORT FILM “More Than Two Hours” by Ali Asgari
  • SPECIAL JURY PRIZE SHORT FILM “With Thy Spirit” by Karim Rahbani
  • SECOND BEST SHORT FILM “Ants Apartment” by Tofiq Amani
  • THIRD BEST SHORT FILM “Butterflies” by Adnan Zandi & “Le Miroir” by Celine Kotaiche

Photo of the winners taken by BIFF photographer, Zeinoun Naboulsi .

Watch the 14 th Edition of the Aleph Awards:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q59miE8PeYo