Lebanese writer-director Cyril Aris’s feature-length documentary The Swing had its premiere at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2018. Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano, his second documentary, received a grant from the Sundance Institute, premiered in the main competition at Karlovy Vary, won a Special Jury Mention, and played at the BFI London Film Festival, CPH:DOX, DOC NYC, and more than 80 other festivals. His short film The President’s Visit premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2017 and was shown at over 100 other festivals. Aris holds an MFA from Columbia University and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. A Sad and Beautiful World had its premiere in the Giornate degli Autori section of the Venice International Film Festival.