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Doha, Qatar; September 30, 2013: As part of its Film Lab Series, Doha Film Institute has launched two new programmes, the Professional Hezayah Lab for Storytelling and a Professional Directing Workshop for Qatari filmmakers.

Aimed at strengthening the skills of professional writers, playwrights, novelists and poets, the first four-day Professional Hezayah Lab started on 28 September to 1 October, 2013. As many as 15 skilled writers will have the opportunity to learn from one of Arab cinema’s most promising filmmakers – Mohamed Al Daradji and Karim Bachir Traïdia.

The Professional Hezayah Lab offers participants with valuable insights into screenwriting, providing the basics of preparing a script, hands-on training, and feedback that will strengthen skills. Three sessions of Professional Hezayah will take place over a three-month period.

The Professional Directing Workshop, to be held on 3, 6 and 10 October, has been designed to meet the needs of established Qatari directors currently working in television and theatre. Participants will be instructed in visual storytelling techniques, gain new perspectives on cinematic narrative, and will be taught the organisational and communication skills needed to direct feature films.

Award-winning director Mohamed Al Daradji, widely known for his compelling narratives Ahlaam and Son of Babylon, both of which won acclaim on the international film festival circuit, will mentor the Professional Hezayah Lab. Karim Bachir Traidia, a graduate of the Dutch Film Academy, has eight documentaries and four short films to his credit, which have been recognised at the Dutch National Film Festival, the Golden Gate Festival in San Francisco, and at the Cannes Film Festival, will mentor the Professional Directing Workshop

Mahdi Ali Ali, Manager of DFI’s Gulf Film Development initiative, said: “Qatar is full of experienced and skilled professionals who have had successful careers in the arts, be that writing or in theatre and television. We are now at a point where Qatar’s film industry is embracing a new era of skilled professionals entering the world of filmmaking. These new programmes, the Professional Hezayah Lab and the Professional Directing Workshop, will help those established cinematic professionals further refine their craft in order to make a lasting contribution to the region’s fast growing film industry.”

For more details and to participate in the workshops please visit www.dohafilminstitute.com