Locarno Film Festival: Lebanon's Abbout Productions to Receive Producing Award
The production firm will also present two of its movies at Locarno, namely Costa Brava, Lebanon by Mounia Akl, and Memory Box by Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige.
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'In recent years, Georges Schoucair, who took over as CEO of Abbout Productions in 2004, and Myriam Sassine, who joined as lead producer in 2010, have shepherded an array of acclaimed Arab and Lebanese feature films into existence and onto the international distribution marketplace,' Locarno organizers said. 'A vital production and distribution hub for the region, Abbout Productions has sustained a network of Lebanese and Arab artists and filmmakers who, despite difficult and often catastrophic circumstances, fight to create independent cinema in the region.'
The company's movies have also included works by such local filmmakers as Ahmad Ghossein, Mohamed Malas, Ghassan Salhab, Oualid Mouannes, Cyril Aris, Ely Dagher, Rana Eid and Myriam El Hajj.
Schoucair and Sassine have also been standard-bearers for independent cinema beyond the work of Abbout. 'Schoucair played a pivotal role in opening (and then reopening) Beirut's Metropolis Cinema, a key industry and programming hub for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region,' Locarno highlighted. 'Sassine, in turn, co-founded Maskoon Fantastic Film Festival, the only genre film festival in the Arab region, and is actively engaged in film training initiatives and industry events. Since 2021, she has managed Aflamuna Connection, a Lebanese co-production platform for Arab filmmakers.'
Concluded the fest: 'Additionally, Georges Schoucair provided support to none other than Jean-Luc Godard for Le Livre d'image (2018) and in collaboration with Myriam Sassine co-produced award-winning international films through the company Schortcut Films, supporting filmmakers such as Alain Gomis, Kaouther Ben Hania, Lucrecia Martel, Elia Suleiman and others.'
Abbout Productions will be honored at Locarno on Thursday, Aug. 7. The following day, Schoucair and Sassine will take part in a public conversation at the fest, moderated by Swiss journalist and author Philippe Mottaz and organized in collaboration with ICT4Peace, a policy and action-oriented international foundation whose purpose is 'to save lives and protect human dignity through information and communication technology.' The collaboration is part of the fest's efforts to take part in global conversations and engage with social issues. 'The films Abbout have produced are a sign of a society that is vital, alive and continues to look to the future with dogged confidence,' said Locarno Film Festival artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro. 'Through their films, Georges and Myriam have been able to tell the story of a country able to come to terms with its history while simultaneously imagining a layered and multifaceted Lebanese identity. They have also launched a great many new talents in front of and behind the camera, helping to give Lebanon a new face, allowing it to meet its potential, and offering a complex portrait of the country that goes far beyond the trivializations of the violence of war. They have worked tirelessly in the pursuit of a fertile and generous dialogue.'
The Raimondo Rezzonico Award was created in 2002 in memory of the man who was president of the Locarno festival from 1981 to 1999.
The 2025 Locarno festival takes place Aug. 6–16. Jackie Chan will receive a lifetime honor at the fest, Lucy Liu will receive a career honor, and Emma Thompson will be honored with the Leopard Club Award. U.S. filmmaker Alexander Payne will receive Locarno's Honorary Leopard.
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