Every year Vancouver plays host to dozens of film festivals: local and international; big-budget and grassroots. Taken together they would represent the panorama of Vancouver’s cultural life.

In spite of its strong economic and cultural roots, one demographic is missing in action, and - as far as the local film circuit goes - has been absent for too long: members of the Middle Eastern and North African community. The purpose of MENA is to fill that space with the voices of filmmakers and artists-local and national, young and established-who identify as part of the larger Canadian-Middle Eastern community. MENA aims to provide a stage for emerging artists and new voices to share their work, open a space for dialogue and celebrate our place in the Canadian media landscape.