A producer and filmmaker in his own right, one who also specializes in animated commercials and opened Lebanon’s first postproduction company, Elias established the Tripoli festival in 2004 in what is a conservative city. The sixth edition will take place this June. He also co-founded a new event in Lebanon, Jounieh International Film Festival, in the hope that it will help revive the film scene in this coastal resort city north of Beirut that was once active in movie production.