A symbol of peace, victory, solidarity and wisdom, evergreen, fire-resistant, feeding and healing, from mythology and the Bible to every religious scripture …the olive tree is ever-present, ever-giving, ever-generous, and ever-sacred.
Since the celebration of its 10th anniversary, the Notre Dame University-Louaize International Film Festival (NDUIFF) today adopts this symbol as its primary accolade—the “Golden Olive Award” for everything it holds within its silent and glorious presence.
NDUIFF Co-founders Sam Lahoud and Dr. Nicolas Khabbaz took the stage to address the audience.
Lahoud’s welcome note focused on the festival’s many accomplishments. He said, “We are gathered here today in this casual setting to celebrate cinematic achievements.” Lahoud went on to thank the NDUIFF partners and sponsors for their generous support.
For his part, Head of the Division of Audiovisual Arts at NDU and NDUIFF Artistic Director Dr. Khabbaz thanked the technical support team, filmmakers, NDU alumni, international guests, and jury members for supporting the festival and making its story a massive success.
Bank of Beirut (BoB) Jeita Branch Manager Elie Saber praised the NDUIFF saying, “We, at BoB, support many conferences and events, but the NDUIFF is our pride and joy.”
To crowning feature of the fervent NDUIFF 11th edition was the Golden Olive Awards Ceremony, which took place on Sunday, November 12, 2017, at 7:00 p.m., in Bechara el-Rai Theater, NDU main campus.
The Golden Olive Award went to the following films in the below listed categories:
Best Fiction Film
First Place: “Down is the New Up” by Camille Cabbabe (ALBA)
Second Place: “Fishing Out of the Sea” by Hala el-Kouch (LU2)
Third Place: “Suture” by Jad Abou Abdo (LU2)
Best Documentary
“Randa” by Farouk Al Jammal (IESAV)
Best Animation
“Not a Vegetarian Movie” by Peter Aoun (ALBA)
Beirut Public Vote
“Fourteen” by Elias Freifer (AKU)
Best International Fiction Film
“Uncanny Valley” by Paul Wenninger (Austria)
Best International Animation Film
“My Grandfather used to be a Cherry Tree” by Olga Poliektova and Tatiana Poliektova (Russia)
Ministry of Tourism Award of Land, People, and Culture
“A Piece of Land” by Fadi Saghbini (AKU)
Emile Chahine Award for Cinematic Excellence
“On the Ropes” by Manon Nammour
Special Jury Award
“Transition” by Milica Tomovic (Serbia)
The NDU administration allocated prize money to winners to encourage future film productions.
Following the announcement of the final results, the winners unanimously expressed their honor to be part of the NDUIFF 11TH edition, thanking the organizers, cast, crew, and audience.
Mark your calendar for NDUIFF’s promising 12th edition, which is set to take place from November 18, 2018, till November 25, 2018!