HERE & ELSEWHERE | ‏هُنا وهُنالِك is a non-profit, transnational film festival amplifying SWANA voices from the region and the diaspora.

The 2026 edition unfolds across two cities and two contexts: a three-day festival in Beirut (HERE), followed one month later by a three-day chapter in a sister city (ELSEWHERE) forming a single, six-day program across two countries.

The festival presents curated short and feature films, alongside filmmaker Q&As, panel discussions, and community-led events designed to foster dialogue beyond the screen.

HERE & ELSEWHERE follows a redistributive fundraising model, with all profits raised through ticket sales and events split evenly between the development of a new film by a SWANA filmmaker and a SWANA-based NGO or grassroots charity.

We are seeking films with a strong point of view; work that engages with identity, memory, displacement, resistance, and belonging, while also making space for joy, humor, intimacy, and contradiction.

All genres are welcome, including fiction, documentary, experimental, and hybrid forms. No premiere status is required.

*Fee exemptions are available for filmmakers from Lebanon or from regions affected by conflict, economic instability, or political precarity. To request a submission fee waiver, please contact us at lilith@culturagroovy.com

Rules & Terms

Films may be submitted in any language.

Subtitles are mandatory in both Arabic and English.

Arabic-language films must include English subtitles.

English-language films must include Arabic subtitles.

Films in other languages must include both Arabic and English subtitles.

Short films must not exceed 25 minutes, including credits.

Feature films must be a minimum of 60 minutes in duration.

Films must have been completed or be in production within the last five (5) years.

Films may be submitted at any stage of sound post-production.

Selected films may be eligible for sound post-production support in collaboration with Tunefork Studios, subject to technical assessment and scheduling availability.

Films may be submitted by filmmakers of any nationality.

Filmmakers from the SWANA region and its diaspora are strongly encouraged to apply.

All genres and forms are accepted, including fiction, documentary, experimental, and hybrid works.

As we are currently a grass-roots volunteer-run fundraiser, selected films will not receive a screening fee.

Submission of a film constitutes permission for HERE & ELSEWHERE | ‏هُنا وهُنالِك to screen the work as part of the 2026 festival program, should it be selected.

Filmmakers are responsible for ensuring they hold all necessary rights for exhibition, including music, archival material, and image rights.

Submission fees, if applicable, are non-refundable.

The festival reserves the right to make final programming decisions.