What’s good Lebanon? Beirut Comic Art Festival
Fans of comics, rejoice: The Beirut Comic Art festival is finally happening!
It’s been in the works since 2019, and now the French Institute of Lebanon, joining forces with Lyon BD, the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts and the Mu’taz and Rada Sawwaf Arab Comics Initiative at the American University of Beirut (AUB) have launched the first edition of the Beirut Comic Art Festival.
From October 6th to the 10th, the festival is taking place in different locations all over Beirut. A star-studded list of more than 30 local and international comic artists are participating in a variety of exhibitions, meetings, debates, performances, shows and workshops.
Here’s a peek at what awaits:
International comic book stars such as the Belgian cartoonist Franck Pé, the French Alfred, author of Pourquoi jai killed Pierre (Delcourt, 2006) and the French designer Pénélope Bagieu are featured on the poster for the festival. There are also many Lebanese designers and authors such as Michèle Standjosfki and Mohamad Kraytem.
These illustrators and authors will be accompanied by artists from other disciplines, to create a dialogue between the arts and comics. What we love about this festival is that it’s a marriage between comics and other forms of art, and the events are quite innovative in nature: drawn concerts, live performances, workshops, meetings, frescoes, debates… we love it.
Another thing we love is that the events all take place in very different settings: from Palais Sursock, ALBA, AUB, and the Institut Français to schools, cafes, cultural institutions, bookstores, or outdoor stages. Also, the festival isn’t restricted to Beirut (as many are) but has events all over Lebanon, including Saïda, Tripoli, and Zahlé.
The festival kicks off on October 6th with a concert divided into two parts, ending with an explosive Franco-Lebanese collaboration: the French electro-oriental music group Acid Arab and the Lebanese designer Raphaëlle Macaron.
Oh, and did we mention it’s absolutely free for all?
Source