The Beirut International Film Festival (BIFF) announced yesterday that its 2018 edition will be postponed for several months due to the precarious economic conditions in the country as well as the growing political and regional insecurities. The BIFF said the decision was taken after deep reflection and will resume hopefully the beginning of 2019 to shed light on Beirut and Lebanon as always. Despite this postponement, the BIFF statement said, this year carries a rich and wide collection of activities, movies and events, notably the partnership with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) which organizes the OSCARS, pointing to a special program partnering with AMPAS entitled ‘Cinematographers, Directors and Film Editors: The Art of Visual Storytelling’. The statement also mentioned AMPAS’ partnerships with other international festivals to implement said program and that it has chosen BIFF from the Middle East and North Africa. To note, the BIFF is officially funded by private bodies, while the government contributes to a slight share through the ministries of tourism and culture. (An Nahar, September 6, 2018)