For its 20th anniversary and 17th edition, the Beirut International Film Festival will screen movies, short films and documentaries about terrorism, religious extremism, refugees and marginalized groups’ rights — all the hot issues on the global agenda.

The major film festival, which runs from Oct. 4 to 12, offers to the Beirut audience local, regional and international independent movies that are unlikely to be seen on television or in local cinemas. A jury of four chooses the best ones in each category.

The festival includes on its program several award-winning films, some of which will be shown for the first time in Lebanon. It also provides vital exposure for Middle Eastern movies focusing on political and social issues in the region. It opened with a screening of “La Cordillera” by Argentine director Santiago Mitre, and will close with “Loving Vincent” by British director Hugh Welchman and Polish director Dorota Kobiela, about the last days of painter Vincent Van Gogh's life, prior to his suicide.

For founder Colette Naufal, the idea behind the festival was “to bring art house cinema to Beirut, as these movies are never released because they are not commercially viable, unlike blockbusters.”