BBIMF – Paris Edition 2026

Bachar Mar-Khalifé is a composer, pianist, and multi-instrumentalist whose music blends classical, traditional, jazz, electronic, and rock influences. A freelance artist, he has released five albums, including On/Off, recorded in Lebanon and nominated for the Victoires de la Musique awards. His work has been recognized with the Sacem Grand Prix for World Music (2021) and the Michel Legrand Prize (2022) for the original music for the film Sous le Ciel d’Alice.

In 2024, Bachar collaborated, via his label Balcoon, with the Beirut and Beyond International Music Festival, participating in their 10-year compilation, celebrating a decade of independent and avant-garde Arabic music. Together, they also curated a selection of young Lebanese artists and groups at the FIMU in Belfort, strengthening their collaboration and shared commitment to new musical voices.

Currently on tour after a two-year hiatus, the musician has released, without warning, a mini-album entitled Postludes. As a return to basics, in solo piano-voice format, the artist will invite musicians from Lebanon to join him on stage at the Paris edition of the festival.

Lebanese trio Tilt unveils their debut album, “Wasm”.

The group featuring Samah Boulmona (Arabic accordion, vocals), Farah Kaddour (buzuq, vocals), and Ali Hout (percussion, vocals) Introduces a bold new sound rooted in Levantine folk traditions while embracing a modern musical spirit.

Across eight original compositions, “Wasm” captures the meeting point of heritage and innovation. Each track unfolds as part of a sonic journey that celebrates the past while imagining the future of contemporary Arabic music.

Bonne Chose is a fusion trio from Lebanon, focusing on live music and recording, consisting of Abdo Sawma (Drums and percussion), Rami Abou Khalil (Piano, keys and synth), and Charbel Sawma (Bass and Synth). Coming from a country and environment that constantly forces them to live day by day, their music is inspired by the drive to convey emotions of the present moment.

With a varying style that slides between experimental jazz, sampling, psychedelic rock, drum n bass and synth wave, this trio brings you a sound reflecting daily lives immersed in uncertainty.

Postcards is a shoegaze/grunge trio from Beirut, Lebanon. Formed in 2012, they are Lebanon’s longest-running alternative band, crafting a sound that blends dream pop, shoegaze, post-punk, and noise. Born from anger, grief, and uncertainty, their fifth album “RIPE” captures the band at their most  ferocious, most vulnerable and most assured. As the world around them crumbles, the trio transmute their rage into something transcendental.

In over a decade of making music, Postcards has worked through periods of social strife and political violence in Lebanon, which Sabra has approached through themes of alienation, melancholy, and resistance. Working closely with their longtime collaborator Lebanese producer and musician Fadi Tabbal, they managed to reflect life in Beirut for their post-war generation, through textured soundscapes and raw intensity in their music, helmed by Sabra’s poignant words and graceful voice.

Postcards are firmly rooted in their native Lebanon, as all three members of the band,Julia Sabra (vocals/guitar/synth), Pascal Semerdjian (drums), and Marwan Tohme (guitar/bass) are active in Beirut’s vibrant music scene, and were active members of various local projects throughout the years, most recently post-folk outfit Sanam and experimental dream-pop duo Snakeskin.

Noise Diva is an Amsterdam-based producer and DJ, Garage Noord and Stegi radio resident, Her musical stylings bridge together a variety of genres, from Moroccan trap to Egyptian R&B, French drill, dancehall, and UK garage, weaving together stories that transcend the dance floor, while ensuring that dancers stay hot on their toes.

The ecstatic flow that she creates in her sets is always unexpected, and yet guaranteed to create intimate connections around the DJ booth.