Beirut International Film Festival '11

Hundreds of film buffs came together at the Beirut International Film Festival in the Lebanese capital on Wednesday.

The festival, which is in its 11th year, opened with the screening of ‘The Tree of Life’, by U.S. director Terrence Malick. The film won the Palme D’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival in May.

The festival’s director, Collette Naufal, said this year the event was monumental.

"This year's festival is the biggest since 1997," Naufal told Reuters on the sidelines of the opening night.

"What distinguishes it is the number of good quality and important films we are screening and the large number of renowned directors we have brought," Naufal said.

The festival also boasts 24 films from the Arab world including countries like Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco, and host nation Lebanon, as well as six films from Iran.

The festival ends on October 13 with the screening of “The Skin I Live In” by Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar.

Speaker:

Collette Naufal - Festival director