Notebook (Al Daftar)
Made in Qatar
Amna Al-Binali / Short Narrative / Qatar / 2015 / 11 min / Colour / DCP2K
In Arabic / English subtitles
World Premiere
Rated: Parental guidance is advised for viewers under the age of 13. Individuals under the age of 13 are not admitted into cinemas unless accompanied by an individual aged 18 or older.
Synopsis
Nora is making a film for the first time. She doesn’t quite know how to use her handheld camera and she hasn’t mastered the art of on-camera interviews. In fact, she doesn’t want to be in front of the camera at all. Instead, she is more interested in talking to her friends about their notebooks. What they write about, whom they share their writings with. As Nora begins to ask increasingly personal details of her friends, however, the film becomes more complex. This diarist film explores the limits of personal boundaries and the complicated dynamics of inner lives.
About the Directors
Amna Al-Binali graduated from Qatar University with a degree in English Literature and Linguistics. She directed her first short film, ‘Doctor’s Office’, at the La Fémis Gulf Summer School in 2015. ‘The Notebook’, her second short film, showed at the Ajyal Youth Film Festival in 2015, where it won a Special Mention in the Made in Qatar Competition. She is currently developing ‘The World Is Blue’, which was selected for Qumra this year.
Credits
- Director
- Amna Al-Binali
- Screenwriter
- Amna Al-Binali
- Cinematographer
- Amna Al-Binali
- Production Company
- Doha Film Institute
- Cast
- Sarah Fayad Mohamed, Anwar Al-Marwani, Mahra Mohamed, Yomna Taher, Nissryne Dib, Naila Al Balosh, Bessma Ouadahi, Eiman Mirghani