We are individual partners who have been working together along this course for 12 years, we have supported more than 200 filmmakers from the Middle East & North Africa.

Close-Up is a Non-profit organization based in Brussels, Belgium, founded by 5 partners, Sigal Yehuda, Bruni Burres, Vincent Melilli, John Appel and Ahmet Boyacioglu. Our strength has always been in our belief of the urgency and the necessity for a dialog between individual artists coming from broken societies but aiming to create and build bridges despite censorship. Working with talented emerging filmmakers from our region is essential to maintaining our cultural awareness and protect our future existence. We’ve witnessed our ability to resist prejudice and ignorance by creating cinematic, powerful documentaries within our community of filmmakers. These filmmakers remind us all about our common values and the strength of an inclusive and open society.