STILL HERE... STILL TELLING...
BWFF 2026 STATEMENT
In light of the ongoing war affecting Lebanon and the region, the 9th edition of the Beirut International Women Film Festival adopts a refined and essential format.
From April 27 to 30, at Grand Cinemas – ABC Dbayeh, the festival will present its official film selection, placing the focus where it truly belongs: on the voices, visions, and stories of women in cinema.
At a time when many are displaced, when fear and uncertainty shape daily life, when youth question their future, and when a nation grows weary of recurring conflict, we choose to hold space.
Space for stories that reflect us, for voices that resist erasure, for cinema that listens, carries, and connects.
We are not untouched by this reality.
Like many cultural institutions, we too are tired… tired of trying to let art and words rise above the noise of war, tired of creating in the shadow of uncertainty.
And yet, we continue.
Because postponing culture until peace arrives would mean accepting silence and silence is not an option.
This edition is a gesture of presence, of responsibility, of continuity. A reminder that culture remains one of the last bridges we share, and that even in the most fragile moments, stories can still gather us, restore meaning, and keep hope alive.
Still here. Still telling.
#BWFF2026
#WomenForLeadership
MEET THE ARTIST BEHIND THE POSTER
Najwa Mallah, Head of Branding and Design
Najwa Mallah is a Beirut based Art Director, she holds a BA in Multimedia and an MA in Design.
Najwa has built a diverse career through small and large-scale projects across various
industries. Najwa draws inspiration from everyday life to craft innovative ideas that resonate with audiences. Whether working with teams or independently, Najwa is always on the lookout for new ways to push the boundaries of design while maintaining a focus on quality and client vision.
Najwa is the Head of Branding and Design at Beirut Film Society; among her work is the Beirut Shorts International Film Festival and the Beirut International Women Film Festival. and others.
ORGANIZED BY
BEIRUT FILM SOCIETY
Beirut Film Society is a Non-for Profit Lebanese organization situated in Beirut, working since 2007 on promoting for “responsible filmmaking”.
Beirut Film Society works on introducing cinema culture as an educative tool to human rights and ethics; and on spreading the Lebanese culture though cinema when and where possible.
Our mission comprises improving the filmmaking industry, empowering and supporting talents and creativity, reinforcing the concept of “responsible filmmaking”, and above all staying committed to its social responsibility in Lebanon and the Arab world, and far beyond.
BFS aims to shape the future of the film industry, by presenting Lebanon as a diverse filming location, and by providing data about film personnel, and other needed filming logistics, to the international companies and filmmakers in order to help them produce high quality audiovisual and film content.
GIRLS FOR CHANGE
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Girls For Change
GIRLS FOR CHANGE program continues to be an initiative created and developed by Beirut Film Society to train Lebanese and Syrian girls between 13 and 18 years old living in the most vulnerable areas in Lebanon on how to use Audio Visual and Film to seek
change and to express themselves.
The training program, covered so far most Lebanese regions, with more than 500 beneficiaries resulting the production of more than 30 short films written and directed by the girls under the supervision of BFS team of trainers.
In this program, Beirut International Women Film Festival & Beirut International Children and Family Film Festival are committed to social issues and aim to contribute to the SDG's 4 and 5, Quality Education and Gender Equality.
NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR
In a time when the echoes of war continue to shape our days, when uncertainty lingers over Lebanon and the region, and when the weight of reality presses heavily on every attempt to create, we gather once again, not out of ease, but out of necessity.
Welcome to the 9th edition of the Beirut International Women Film Festival 2026.
This year, the festival takes on a more essential form. From April 27 to 30, at Grand Cinemas – ABC Dbayeh, we return to what matters most: the films, the voices, and the women whose stories refuse to be silenced.
There are moments when even culture grows tired.
Tired of resisting.
Tired of rebuilding.
Tired of trying to make art speak louder than destruction.
We are not untouched by this fatigue. As a cultural institution, we carry it too. We feel the strain of continuing in a landscape where instability has become the norm, where creation often feels like an act of defiance.
And yet, we continue.
Because to wait for peace before we create would mean choosing silence.
And silence is not an option.
This edition is not defined by grandeur, but by presence.
Not by scale, but by intention.
It is a space we insist on holding,
for stories that reflect who we are,
for voices that resist erasure,
for cinema that listens, carries, and connects.
In this fragile moment, culture remains one of the last bridges we share. A bridge between people, between truths, between what we endure and what we hope to become.
The theme “Women for Leadership” continues not as a slogan, but as a lived reality. Leadership today is not abstract, it is visible in every woman who persists, who creates, who holds her ground in the face of uncertainty, and who transforms experience into expression.
To the filmmakers, artists, and storytellers: your work matters now more than ever.
To the audience: your presence is an act of belief.
To every woman navigating between resilience and exhaustion: this space is yours.
We do not gather because the moment is easy.
We gather because it is difficult.
And because even now, especially now, stories must be told.
Still here...
Still telling...
Sam Lahoud
Founder & President – Beirut Film Society
Founder & Director – Beirut International Women Film Festival