In more than 30 years, Cinemamed has become the annual meeting to discover Mediterranean stories, dreams and issues. The festival reflects Brussels’ multiculturalism and is built with the idea of giving a voice, through cinema, to the many Mediterranean communities living in Brussels.
Throughout the 24 editions of Cinemamed, the festival has brought many guests to Brussels coming from all over the Mediterranean area, including some of the best directors of the region, as well as actors, musicians and many figures representing Mediterranean genius around the world.
During these years, Cinemamed audiences have had the opportunity to exchange directly with filmmakers, personalities from the film industry and various other speakers during the screenings.
Cinemamed is not only a cinema event, but also a safe space for debating and a showcase for Mediterranean cultures, in its wide meaning: from food to music, photography and arts in general. Cinemamed actively supports emerging artistic projects, as for example AFTER BEIRUT, a photo exhibition from a photography collective named L’Escalade.
Cinemamed fosters collective debate and reflections on contemporary societal issues, and for this reason, every year, the programming committee drafts a list of recurrent topics addressed by the films submitted for selection. We strongly believe that cinema, like all artistic expressions provides a magnifying lens on society, and our purpose is to generate debate, to exchange thoughts and reflections amongst people, fostering participation independently of age, gender and socio-economic origins.
The poster for this 25th edition features a cup of coffee: a symbol of exchange, dialogue and sharing. What better emblem to represent the Mediterranean? Around it, people gather, discuss and bond. Cinemamed is above all a story of encounters: between cultures, between worlds, between audiences. This anniversary edition will feature nearly 80 films, including the best recent productions from the Mediterranean, as well as numerous previews and guests from all corners of the Mediterranean basin.
The central theme of this 25th edition, ‘Living Memory’, highlights memory as a living space, in perpetual motion, where the past, present and future are in constant dialogue. Through works that re-examine history and revive memories, Cinemamed invites us to think differently about the present — with lucidity, emotion and commitment — while imagining and preparing for our future. To celebrate the 25th edition, Cinemamed has also selected 9 movies that made history at the festival, in collaboration with Cinematek in an unprecedented retrospective.
The festival aims to be as inclusive and accessible as possible, and thus we organize screenings for Brussels non-profit sector with a reduced price. Many of the selected films treat topics that resonate with the work of local associations, thus creating new opportunities of debate even on delicate and sensitive subjects. In collaboration with a number of cultural centers in the Brussels region, Cinemamed also offers around twenty free school screenings in several municipalities of Brussels.
Enjoy these movies with English subtitles:
COEXISTENCE, MY ASS ! by Amber Fares (USA, France).
EVERYDAY IN GAZA by Omar Rammal (Palestine) – screening and panel discussion.
SPICES AND LIES by Amine Adjina (France) – in the presence of the director.
WHERE THE WIND COMES FROM by Amel Guellaty (Tunisia, France, Qatar) – in the presence of the actor Slim Baccar.
All the details including the full programme can be found here.
