Outfest has officially announced the award winners for the 40th Anniversary of the Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival.
Along with the various awarded films from different countries, two Lebanese films were also recognized with top prizes, including Rita Baghdadi’s Sirens and Dania Bdeir’s Warsha.
Here are the details:
Sirens – Paul D. Lerner & Stephen Reis Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding Documentary Feature
Directed by Moroccan-American filmmaker Rita Baghdadi, Sirens was awarded the Stephen Reis Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding Documentary Feature.
The documentary was recognized for the nuanced perspective of the first all-female thrash metal band in Lebanon, Slave To Sirens, who is breaking all the gender norms in times of conflict.
Warsha – Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding International Narrative Short
Directed by the Lebanese-Canadian filmmaker Dania Bdeir, Warsha nabbed the Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding International Narrative Short.
The short film was acclaimed for its position between “the self and the sublime”, as the character unfolds from a laborer and refugee to a “super-person.”
Related: Meet The First & Only Lebanese All-Female Metal Band In The Middle East
