The final master class of the Beirut International Film Festival (BIFF) was held on Tuesday, October 7, at Abraj Cinema in Furn El Chebbak. The master class, moderated by international film consultant Alesia Weston, was organized with the participation of Canadian director of Indian origin Ritchie Mehta, his French counterpart of Argentinean origin Santiago Amigorena and American Jordan-Palestinian director, Cherien Dabis.
When asked about the genesis of their movies, Ritchie Mehta (Siddharth) said that he couldn’t forget the 10 minute-conversation he had with a taxi driver when he was stuck in Delhi.
Cherien Dabis said for her part that she wanted to follow the opposite process she chose for her semi-autobiographical film "Amreeka", with "May in the Summer" about an Arab girl raised in the States who return to her country to marry an Egyptian man.
As for Amigorena, he had no script and no specific idea for "Les enfants rouges" made during two years and a half in black and white. He did not pay the actors who came to the shooting during their free time, inviting them for dinner instead.
The speakers gave recommendations to their counterparts in the audience, advising them on how to "keep (their) visions while being, in the same time, open to learn from others", as Weston said, and sharing with them their experiences, points of view and even some secrets.