The Lebanese association ‘Art Factory 961’ launched in a press conference at Metropolis Empire Sofil, yesterday, the fourth edition of ‘Karama Beirut Human Rights Film Festival’ titled ‘Talk to Her’. The festival, (July 1 to July 5), is organized in cooperation with UNIC Beirut and with the support of OHCHR-MENA and UNHCR, as well as the embassies of Switzerland and the Czech Republic in Lebanon. A statement by Art Factory 961 said the festival, like other renowned international human rights festivals, promote a cinema that censures racism, hate speech and discrimination. The 4th edition is within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goal 5: gender equality, the statement added. On the occasion, the festival director, Haitham Shamas, pointed to the prevalent discrimination between men and women in many parts of the world, saying: “We face a specific problem that ought to be addressed, monitored, examined and depicted through cinematic arts as an effective tool of expression.” For her part, the festival’s program manager, Najwa Kondaqji, said the festival screens 24 films, and includes a major panel discussion that tackles personal status law and its negative impact on Lebanese women.(NNA, June 25, 2019)