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TED and Doha Film Institute (DFI) partner to bring together 700 global innovators and thought leaders for a workshop, followed by jointly curated TEDxDoha to celebrate the ‘best of TEDx’ events.

Doha, Qatar, 11 July, 2011 – The world renowned TEDGlobal annual 5-day conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, which officially started Monday, announced to its TEDx community that the Doha Film Institute (DFI) will host the first ever TEDxWorldWideWorkshop (TEDxWWW) from April 16, 2012.

The new partnership between DFI and TED will build a local team to organise an event open exclusively to members of the global TEDx community, together with the TED team, comprised of TEDx workshops, followed by a celebratory one day TEDxDoha event in Qatar on April 20, which will bring together 700 members from the active TEDx global community.

TEDx events are independently organised local events that invite speakers to talk for 18 minutes or less, about ‘ideas worth spreading’, which is central to TED’s mission to promote global dialogue. The events promote global thinkers to inspire their communities to discuss various different subjects including education, health, community, science, design, technology, and entertainment.

Ama Akuamoah, who is attending the TEDGlobal conference on behalf of DFI in Edinburgh for the first time, said “I have been watching the TED talks online for many years. I, like many people, have found myself inundated with media stories about celebrity or pessimism, and TED has given me a unique and refreshing outlet to engage in important non-mainstream conversations. TED has inspired and educated me with human stories that have made me feel connected to a community that wants to shape a better future for all us, by including us in the global discussion. I’m really proud that DFI is hosting this incredible event.”

At TEDxWWW, TEDx organisers from around the world will connect and collaborate, share TEDx’s best practices, discuss local and regional strategies, and brainstorm new ideas and collaborations. Following the Workshop, DFI will host the second TEDxDoha conference, curated by TED, DFI and the global TEDx community. The event will feature speakers and performers from the Middle East and around the world.

“The TEDx global community is a passionate and rapidly growing global community,” said Lara Stein, TEDx Director of Licensing. “Our TEDx local organisers have already hosted more than 2,000 events, empowering their communities with the TED mission of spreading ideas and uniting communities to take part in a global conversation, either at our conferences or online at TED.com.”

Stein added: “We are thrilled to be bringing the first ever TEDxWWW to the Middle East, and to contribute to the transformative dialogue that is already taking place. The TEDx community is already connected in the region, with dozens of TEDx events hosted in the Middle East. We are proud that DFI also shares this commitment to empowering local storytelling, exchange and ideas.”

In Edinburgh with Lara Stein and a dedicated DFI TEDxDoha team to make the announcement; DFI Executive Director, Amanda Palmer, commented: “The response has been incredible. Since we announced these events, we have been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the TEDx community, who via social networking, have been sending DFI and TED messages of collaboration and support. These events belong to the TEDx community and DFI are so proud to be able to host an important platform for global thinkers. Some of these thinkers are unknowns – some are famous; this is the spirit of TED, and DFI’s founder, H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, founded this organisation with a mission to empower storytellers – and storytelling is at the heart of TED and TEDx talks.”

Last year, DFI held two TEDxDoha events. The first, themed ‘Fun and Important’, featured local Qatari filmmaker Ahmed Al Baker and international designer Reem Acra, amongst others. DFI founder, H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, also did a TEDWomen talk in Doha, live via satellite into Washington DC, to 2000 leading women. The success of that event saw TED announce the support of the new TEDxWomen events to be locally organised this year.

Registration for TEDxWWW will begin in October 2011. Information will be available at www.tedxdoha.net, www.dohafilminstitute.com/events/te-dx-www-hosted-by-dfi, and www.ted.com/registration.

About the Doha Film Institute
DFI is an independent cultural organisation established to incorporate Qatar’s film initiatives under one banner. Our many initiatives range from film funding for MENA and international films, production to year round educational programs, film screenings, as well as the annual Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF).

About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)

About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 26 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. At TED, the world’s leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Two major TED events are held each year: The TED Conference takes place every spring in Long Beach, California (along with a parallel conference, TEDActive, in Palm Springs), and TEDGlobal is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.

TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily; the new TED Conversations, enabling broad conversations among TED fans; and the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide.

TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

For information about TED’s upcoming conferences, visit http://www.ted.com/registration

Follow TED on Twitter at TEDTalks, or on Facebook.