“Sleiman Tinawi”

I am Sleiman Tinawi and I live in Beirut, Lebanon, though I actually come from Zabadani, Syria. I am 26 years old.

In 2017, I decided to join Action for Hope’s Film School, where I learned about International and Arab cinema in general and Syrian cinema in particular. The films I was introduced to are generally those that people are not used to watching on television. I also learned the terms “independent cinema” and “author’s cinema”, which offer different artistic formats from those we are used to since we were young, they are more realistic and ambitious.

In fact, since I studied in the Film School I became bolder and more capable of expressing my opinion and open to accepting other people’s opinions. Cinema made me see the world from a different perspective. It also enabled me to have a job that improved my standard of living, away from my parents’ profession. I now have the opportunity to make a living out of something I’m passionate about.

I come from a community that is not very familiar with cinema and is unaware of its role in society. However, I believe that my personal experience had a positive impact on my surroundings. At family level, I spread my love for cinema to the other members and now we often sit in a cinematic family atmosphere to discuss films. Also, my little brother is now interested in photography.

After graduating from the school, I received a scholarship to study audiovisual arts at the St. Joseph’s University in Beirut, and today I am about to graduate. I intend to complete my studies to get a more specialized master’s degree in this field, and I aspire to establish my own production company. However, I will never forget Action for Hope’s Film School, as that is where everything began and where my new artistic life in the film sector started.