There is always a decisive moment in cinema.
The lights dim. The sound rises. The room holds its breath.
As Ms. Celine Zoghby, Head of the Department of Audiovisual Studies at the Faculty of Information and Communication (FIC), reflected during the evening: “There is one crucial moment in every cinema screening. When the lights go dim and the sound of the projector moves, all anxieties, all stress, all the long hours of work become the responsibility of the jury. In that moment, the film stops belonging to the director and begins to belong to the audience.”
On February 26, 2026, Antonine University (UA), through the FIC and the Office of Student Affairs (OSA), hosted the second edition of Cinematic Visions at Our Lady of the Seeds Monastery, Hadat–Baabda Campus. What unfolded was not merely a screening, but a passage; from classroom to craft, from study to industry, from vision to voice.
Following the welcoming notes by Master of Ceremony Ms. Sandra Rahi, the evening set a rhythm of anticipation, reminding the audience that these senior films were not isolated assignments, but the culmination of years of formation, experimentation, and creative risk.
A distinguished jury elevated the encounter: filmmaker and Founding President of Beirut Film Society Dr. Sam Lahoud, director and producer Mr. Elie F. Habib, and actress and television presenter Ms. Pierrette Katrib. Bringing together experience in filmmaking, production, performance, and industry leadership, the jury embodied the bridge between academic formation and professional practice, offering students the rare opportunity to present their work before established voices in Lebanese cinema.
In his address, UA Rector Fr. Michel Saghbiny reminded students that the University “does not merely teach a profession, but refines spirit and vision.” Cinema, he emphasized, is not ornamentation; it is language. In a world saturated with noise, the image remains one of the most honest forms of expression.
He challenged the young directors with four guiding principles: boldness in perspective, responsible courage, attention to detail, and openness to experience. “Art,” he recalled, “is not what you see, but what you make others see.”
Then, in a poetic and memorable closing reflection, he wove together the titles of the six films into a riddle for the audience: “What is the thread upon which we walk in three steps—past, present, and future—as we confront the devil of fear, cross forbidden lines, break evil, and seek inner tranquility?”
The screen came alive.
Sophia El Khoury’s “Pas de Trois” (A Dance for Three) opened the screening with the quiet intensity of a dancer battling her own perfectionism, torn between the harsh internal critic and the joyful child who once danced for love.
Steven Junior Haddad’s “Diablo” (Devil) followed with stark brutality, carrying the audience into barren landscapes of vengeance, exile, and inevitable reckoning.
Samah Kanaan’s “Lines We Cross” shifted the tone to social tension, challenging sectarian divisions and questioning whether love can survive inherited prejudice.
Charbel Chamoun’s “Khayt” (Thread) offered tenderness in contrast; a story stitched together by memory, mentorship, and the enduring return of love across generations.
Nathalie Chahine’s “Sukoon” (Tranquility) unsettled the room with psychological fracture, dissolving boundaries between reality and guilt in shifting, disorienting spaces.
The screening concluded with Joseph Jamous’s “Inkasar Al Char” (The Breaking of Evil), a haunting exploration of isolation and repetition, as an elderly woman trapped in a looping existence confronts the fear that has long imprisoned her.
After each screening, directors engaged in live exchanges with the jury. Questions were probing yet constructive; critique became mentorship. Evaluation transformed into dialogue, and dialogue into growth.
Then came silence once more. Voting began. The responsibility shifted.
The Jury Award for Best Short Film was granted to Joseph Jamous for “Inkasar Al Char,” recognized for its narrative control, atmospheric tension, and emotional restraint. The People’s Choice Award was presented to Charbel Chamoun for “Khayt,” whose emotional depth and symbolic storytelling resonated profoundly with the audience.
As the evening moved into reception, what lingered was not simply applause, but conviction.
Cinematic Visions is not merely a student showcase. It is a declaration that storytelling in Lebanon remains alive and evolving. It affirms that formation at UA extends beyond technical mastery toward the shaping of conscience, discernment, and responsibility.
When the lights came back on, the films no longer belonged to their directors.
They belonged to all of us.