Beirut DC

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about

Who We Are

AFLAMUNA is a cultural nonprofit based in Beirut working to harness the power of independent Arab cinema to elevate the most pressing social, political, and cultural movements of our time. Established as a cooperative under the name of Beirut DC in 1999 by a group of Lebanese filmmakers and cultural organizers, it became a nonprofit organization in 2006 under the same name, launching multiple programs and initiatives that helped independent cinema flourish in the Arab region. Today, after over two decades, AFLAMUNA upholds this legacy while keeping an eye to the future.

For 20 years, we have continually strived to meet the current needs of our community: independent filmmakers and audiences from across the 22 countries making up the Arab region. After multiple capacity-building and international connection initiatives, today the institution is focusing all of its efforts towards one overarching goal: Narrative Shift Strategy - putting Arab independent film at the service of social, environmental, political, and cultural movements, affecting change in the region and beyond.

our mission

We strive to empower filmmakers and audiences from every corner of the Arab region. We create resources, events, and virtual and physical spaces that bring filmmakers, communities, and civil society closer, paving the way for radical and transformative collaboration.
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our vision

We believe in the power of film as a driver for change and a harbor for visions of a more just and equal world, in access to independent cinema, arts, and culture as a right to all communities across class and culture, and in the right of Arab artists to choose their own narratives.

Meet The Board

Bissane Tay Ph. D.
Chairwoman
Cynthia Choucair
Treasurer
Tarek Ammar
Vice-chair and Secrectary

our programs

We aim to contribute to the development of the independent film sector to become more culturally, socially, politically, and economically diverse. We lay the groundwork for marginalized and socially engaged narratives to thrive by bridging the gap between independent film and civil society, and by paving new pathways to the audiences that matter.
Impact Narrative Shift
We support Impact Production and Impact Distribution as strategies to elevate marginalized narratives, connect films to unconventional partners, pave pathways to the audiences that matter, and increase the sustainability and reach of Arab independent cinema.
We train Arab Impact Producers to bridge the gap between independent film and civil society.
We host our activities in collaboration with local organizations in different Arab countries, produce educational resources and training material in Arabic, and organize regional training of trainers to create a network of locally-rooted Impact Hubs that are both regionally and globally connected.
Independent Filmmakers Support
We conduct studies around the issues of dignified wages, freedom of expression, and safety and security to propose solutions for the most pressing challenges – advocating for a simple but profound shift from project support to artist support. We organize spaces for meeting and discussion, provide funds for emerging practices, and create open-access resources to support filmmakers in the telling of their stories free of censorship and of the political challenges in the region. We constantly reimagine and readapt our programming to meet the current moment and support Arab filmmakers in facing the challenges of our time.
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Audience: Access & Accessibility
We are constantly developing and piloting new models and practices to disseminate Arab independent cinema inside of the Arab world and beyond. We are continually experimenting with our new non-profit streaming platform AFLAMUNA.online to bring Arab cinema to all, free of charge, and provide meaningful exchanges around film and social justice to the virtual space. We are exploring new pathways to audiences through Masahat AFLAMUNA, an ambitious vision of equipped and connected non-commercial and unconventional screening spaces spread across the Arab region. We are building it by empowering local actors with the knowledge, resources, and access needed to bring Arab independent cinema to their communities. We also organize and support film festivals that tackle the pressing issues of our time.