Stories Across The Homeland: Lebanon Cinema Days Marks Its 10th Edition in Canada
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Under the theme “Stories Across The Homeland,” Lebanon Cinema Days is celebrating its 10th edition in Canada this year, bringing Lebanese stories across borders and using cinema as a bridge between Lebanon and its diaspora.
Running from September 17 to 28, 2026, the festival travels through Montreal, Ottawa and the Greater Toronto Area, with a programme featuring 57 films, including 13 feature-length productions and 44 short films from Lebanon and the diaspora.
More than a series of film screenings, Lebanon Cinema Days has developed into a cultural meeting point where members of the Lebanese community can reconnect with stories reflecting questions of identity, memory, migration and belonging, while also introducing Lebanese cinema to a wider Canadian audience.
Sam Lahoud, President of Lebanon Cinema Days, has highlighted cinema’s ability to connect people with their identity and cultural roots. Organizers say the festival also seeks to showcase Lebanese and Canadian talent and encourage cultural exchange between Lebanon and Canada.
The 10th edition carries a special celebratory tone, with Lebanese actor, writer and director Georges Khabbaz being honoured for his career. Khabbaz also appears in three films included in this year’s programme: Ghadi, Yunan, and Mille Secrets Mille Dangers.
The festival has also introduced the Grand Prix de l’Artiste Francophone this year, with Lebanese-French artist Stephanie Atala becoming its first recipient. The award recognizes artists contributing to Francophone culture through cinema, music, theatre and contemporary arts.
Following the festival’s opening in Montreal on September 17, events continue in Ottawa on September 25 at the St. Elias Banquet Centre, before moving to the Greater Toronto Area on September 27 at the Armenian Youth Centre of Toronto, with artists and guests from this year’s programme expected to attend.
Organized by Beirut Film Society – Canada, under the high patronage of Lebanon’s Ministry of Culture, Lebanon Cinema Days aims to bring Lebanese and Arab cinema to Canadian screens while strengthening cultural links between the homeland, the diaspora and the communities that have welcomed Lebanese immigrants.
Ten years after its Canadian journey began, Lebanon Cinema Days has grown beyond the traditional idea of a film festival. Its screen has become a meeting place between those who stayed and those who left — between Lebanon as a homeland and Lebanon as a memory carried across borders.
