REEF Collective
Lebanon
Cinema,Cultural Management,Environment,Knowledge Production and Research
The REEF collective, formed in 2019, spearheaded the "Rural Encounters on Environment and Films- REEF" festival, a distinctive event focusing on cinema, rural life, and environmental issues. Hosted in the village of Qobayat in the Northern Akkar Governorate, an area synonymous with rural and agricultural existence, REEF combines open-air film screenings, creative workshops, and conferences on rural and environmental issues as well as activities aiming at highlighting the local cultural and environmental heritage. Over five successful editions, the festival evolved into a multifaceted initiative, integrating art and culture to advocate for environmental and rural causes. Beyond its annual gatherings, the REEF collective expanded its activities to include ecologist-artist residencies, empowering workshops for women and youth, film competitions, and communal waste management endeavors. Comprising environmentalists, activists, artists, filmmakers, and project managers, the REEF team collaborates with local partners to establish a robust network across Lebanon. At its core, REEF seeks to democratize access to culture and foster dialogue on environmental preservation within remote and underserved communities.
REEF Collective
Lebanon
Cinema,Cultural Management,Environment,Knowledge Production and Research
The REEF collective, formed in 2019, spearheaded the "Rural Encounters on Environment and Films- REEF" festival, a distinctive event focusing on cinema, rural life, and environmental issues. Hosted in the village of Qobayat in the Northern Akkar Governorate, an area synonymous with rural and agricultural existence, REEF combines open-air film screenings, creative workshops, and conferences on rural and environmental issues as well as activities aiming at highlighting the local cultural and environmental heritage. Over five successful editions, the festival evolved into a multifaceted initiative, integrating art and culture to advocate for environmental and rural causes. Beyond its annual gatherings, the REEF collective expanded its activities to include ecologist-artist residencies, empowering workshops for women and youth, film competitions, and communal waste management endeavors. Comprising environmentalists, activists, artists, filmmakers, and project managers, the REEF team collaborates with local partners to establish a robust network across Lebanon. At its core, REEF seeks to democratize access to culture and foster dialogue on environmental preservation within remote and underserved communities.
Grantee
Reclaiming Our Commons: A Proposal for Cultural Collaboration Across the Arab Region
2024
REEF Ambassadors
This project builds on an experiment conducted over five days in 2023 as part of the REEF film festival in Kobayat, Akkar region, Lebanon, during which the REEF team raised awareness among youth on ecological issues through educational leisure activities and participatory film selection. The Collective aims to integrate this experiment into a cooperative and youth empowerment framework around environmental commons. The project will involve forming a group of 15 to 20 youths aged 13 to 17 from the Akkar region who will engage in a year-long adventure together. During this year, they will be learners, creators, organizers, and ambassadors for a common cause. At the intersection of environment and culture, their program will include immersive nature activities, exchanges with biodiversity experts and ecological activists, and intergenerational dialogues with elders who are guardians of rural traditions. They will also receive training in basic photography, filmmaking, story writing, and acting. Together, they will define collective work processes, governance, and task allocation, and produce a joint artwork that will be disseminated and made available to the community. This group of young people will also act as messengers to their peers in the schools they attend, their families, and local communities, as well as new cohorts of young people participating in the program in the future.