Arab Cinema Projects on Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine Selected for Cinemed-Aflamuna Incubator
The Montpellier Mediterranean Film Festival and Beirut-based Aflamuna have chosen seven projects for their fifth joint incubator. Among them is a documentary following five Syrian women searching for relatives who disappeared under the Assad regime. The event takes place during the festival in October.
This marks the fifth edition of the joint Aflamuna x Cinemed Encounters, a collaboration between the Montpellier festival and the Beirut-based platform dedicated to Arab cinema. The incubator is designed to support filmmakers working across the Middle East and North Africa, with selected projects presented during the festival's October program.
Among the seven chosen projects, the documentary Disappeared stands out for its focus on five Syrian women grappling with the forced disappearance of their sons and husbands under the Assad regime. The film follows their ongoing search for answers, highlighting a humanitarian crisis that has affected countless families throughout Syria's prolonged conflict.
This incubator could provide vital visibility and resources for Arab filmmakers whose stories often struggle to reach international audiences. By platforming a documentary on Syria's disappeared, the selection may draw attention to a humanitarian issue that remains unresolved for many families. The cross-regional collaboration between French and Lebanese institutions could strengthen cultural exchange, potentially opening distribution pathways for projects that might otherwise remain unseen.