Description: 

When words fail, the camera speaks. This workshop turns your lens into a weapon against bottled-up feelings. You will create raw Video Diaries that capture your emotional turbulence, the fear you hide, the anger you swallow, the joy you can't contain. No pretty shots, no perfect lighting, just you, your camera, and the courage to reveal what is inside. You will then select your favorite Video Diary to develop into a short film in progress. 

Instructor’s biography: 

Corine Shawi is a Lebanese filmmaker whose journey began at age 14 when she started filming her first feature documentary, Les Femmes Bonnes. Her films explore intimate human connections and their psychological dimensions, including Oxygen (2007), Affinity (2007), and Film of Welcome and Farewells (2009), which premiered at the opening of Écrans du Réel festival in Lebanon. 

I Love You Forever (2010) made its debut at CPH:DOX, while her feature E muet (2013) premiered at FID Marseille's International Competition. Her latest documentary, Perhaps What I Fear Does Not Exist (2022), premiered at Dok Leipzig international competition and won Best Documentary at Cinema Columbus Film Festival and the Special Jury Prize at Fidadoc.

Beyond filmmaking, Corine teaches at Saint Joseph University in Beirut since 2011 and has co-created TAABIR Film Expression Workshops, conducted across Lebanon since 2022.

Duration:  25 hours (6 sessions) Dates & time: From September 25 to November 7 2025
Language:  Arabic, English flexible 

Place: IESAV, Human Sciences Campus, Damascus Road   Group number: 8 participants 
Eligibility: Open to students, professionals and researchers interested in using their own camera for experimenting with self-expression. Literacy in film editing is a plus. 21+years old.
Equipment: It is highly recommended to have your own video camera (if you don’t have one, we can provide it) and a laptop with editing software.

Workshop fee: 200.00 USD

Course Outline: Over the first 3 intensive sessions, each participant will film 6 video diaries :

Session 1 | Thursday, September 25th | 3.5 hours: 5:00pm – 8:30pm 

Session 2 | Friday, September 26th | 4 hours: 4:00pm – 8:00pm

Session 3 | Saturday, September 27th | 7.5 hours: 10:00am – 5:30pm 

Session 4 | Friday, October 3rd | 3 hours: 4:00pm – 7:00pm Screening of chosen favorite video diary and discussing each participant's prepared statement (20 min each) 

Session 5 | Friday, October 24th | 4 hours: 4:00pm – 8:00pm Screening of additional footage & work (30 min with each participant in a group session) 

Session 6 | Friday, November 7th | 3 hours: 4:00pm – 7:00pm Screening of edited work-in-progress short films. Final comments and wrap-up. 

Submission deadline: September 15th at 12pm (Beirut time).

For more info, please reach out to yara.nashawaty@usj.edu.lb