The second edition of the Libya International Short Film Festival has opened in the Libyan capital, Tripoli. Organised by the General Authority for Cinema, Theatre and Arts, the festival features around 40 films in the fiction and documentary competitions.
19 fiction films in the Arab and international competition
The jury is headed by Egyptian director Magdy Ahmed Ali and includes Libyan directors Abdullah al-Zarouk and Naji Abu Sabea, Libyan actress Khadouja Sabri, Egyptian screenwriter Mohamed al-Bassousi, Libyan actor Anwar al-Tayyar and Tunisian director Mourad al-Sheikh.
Abdelbaset Abu Qandah links festival to support for Libyan cinema
Abdelbaset Abu Qandah, head of Libya’s General Authority for Cinema, Theatre and Arts, said holding the festival represented an important step forward, to be followed by further measures aimed at stimulating the Libyan film industry and ensuring its continuity, as well as encouraging new generations who love the seventh art to enter the field.
Abu Qandah said the festival’s first edition, held in 2024 and named after the late director Mohamed Ali al-Fergani, received more than 200 films submitted from more than 20 countries. The opening ceremony of the second edition included a musical performance by artist Ali al-Maghribi, as well as tributes to several artists, including Mohamed al-Sahli, Louay Bougrara and al-Hadi Rashed, along with a tribute to the late media figure Abdel Fattah al-Wasee.
The festival is being held amid relative calm in Libya after years of war and conflict. The intensity of the conflicts has begun to decline in recent months, despite the continuation of some attacks, particularly those targeting the energy and oil sectors.
