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Focus on Qatar

Focus on Qatar
Spotlight on Documentary

The history of Qatari cinema has been a steady climb. Since the release of the nation’s first feature-length film, Khalifa Al-Muraikhi’s ‘Clockwise’, in 2010, the nation’s filmmakers have continued to build the profile of Qatar on the global stage. Join us in celebrating all that Qatar has accomplished in the world of the moving image with a series of locally made films and discussions with Qatar’s industry professionals.

Screening Days and Times:

Wednesday, 5 October:

Spotlight on Short Documentary – SOLD OUT
7:30 PM – Screening of a collection of short documentary films

Thursday, 6 October:

Al Jazeera Documentary Channel Showcase
7:30 PM – Screening of ‘Cities of Anxiety’

Friday, 7 October:

Focus on Qatar. Industry Day
4:30 PM – Panel Discussion: The State of Documentary in the Gulf
7:30 PM – Panel Discussion: Next Generation of Documentary Filmmakers

Location:
Museum of Islamic Art Auditorium

Tickets:
Free – please reserve a ticket for admission.

Day 1

Spotlight on Short Documentary

SOLD OUT

You may still be able to get a ticket if you RUSH!

A rush line will form at the venue 45 minutes before the sold-out screening. Tickets will be issued five minutes before the screening start time if seats become available.

5 October– 7:30 PM

A collection of short documentary films that have been produced in Qatar over the past years, either through Doha Film Institute training programmes, or by independent directors or Northwestern University students.

Bader

Directed by: Sara Al-Saadi, Maaria Assami and Latifa Al-Darwish

‘Bader’ is the story of a young boy trying to find his place in an all-boys’ elementary school. The documentary highlights the boy’s struggle with his identity, and how he comes to rely on poetry to help him overcome his challenges…Read More

Inside Out

Directed by: Salwa Al Khalifa and Fahad Al Obaidly

What does it mean to belong? In this intimate interview-based documentary, two filmmakers discuss their sense of displacement in their home of Doha. A Qatari national, Fahad finds that his family’s traditions challenge his outlook on the world. Salwa, whose family is Sudanese, knows she may be told to leave the place she was born at any time…Read More

Mubarak AlMalik

Directed by: Aisha R. Al Muhannadi

Mubarak AlMalik speaks about his artistic practice and how he connects Qatar’s past to its present using classical and contemporary media in Aisha Al Muhannadi’s short documentary profile. The director captures AlMalik in action as he creates a large-scale mural with spray paint, while he discusses his inspiration, his love for rugby and the freedom and inspiration he feels when riding his Harley through the desert…Read More

The Notebook ‘Al-Daftar’

Directed by: Amna Al-Binali

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…Read More

The Palm Tree

Directed by: Jassim Al-Rumaihi

In a sterile lab, sprouts are methodically planted, their growth observed and tracked. Seeds are washed and sifted by machines, before being precisely set in soil under bright lamps. Mainly shot using disorienting…Read More

To My Mother ‘Ela Ummi’

Directed by: Amina Ahmed Al Bloshi

Married at the age of 11, Noura was never given the chance to go to school. For most of her life, she was the wife and mother society expected her to be. But when her youngest child began his studies, so did she…Read More

Day 2
Al Jazeera Documentary Channel Showcase

As Qatar’s film industry expands, more and more individuals and companies are participating in helping the country make its impact on world cinema. We at the Doha Film Institute wish to pay tribute to one company that has been at the forefront of Qatar’s documentary rise. For the past two decades, the team at Al Jazeera has been writing, producing, commissioning and directing films that represent some of the best talent Qatar has to offer.

Cities of Anxiety ‘Mudun min Qalaq

Directed by: Mohamed Hachem

Cities are influenced by their surroundings, which in turn affect their people. This similarity creates an interactive relationship that manifests itself in various forms, among them anxiety. This organism, the city, is anxious as a result of the state of hopelessness that our world is experiencing…Read More

Day 3
Industry Day

Panel Discussion: The State of Documentary in the Gulf
7 October – 4:30 PM

The art of documentary has been on the rise for the past decades and more and more channels are commissioning directors to generate key content. What about the independent scene? Panelists will explore possibilities including funding opportunities, theatrical release, film festivals, television, online portals and other new broadcast platforms to help independent Gulf filmmakers. The discussion will also cover how the current state of documentary filmmaking is evolving – or not – in the Gulf region.

Reserve Your Ticket

Panel Discussion: Next Generation of Documentary Filmmakers
7 October – 7:30 PM

The surge of new platforms available to local up-and-coming talent has helped realise a diverse range of stories in recent years. From these stories a new class of dynamic homegrown filmmakers has emerged. This sessions invites local talent to discuss their experiences throughout the filmmaking process, including writing, directing and editing their films. This event not only gives young filmmakers a chance to share their experiences but a platform to showcase a sneak peek of the films they are currently working on. These projects have participated in the various programmes available through the Doha Film Institute, which welcome and encourage filmmakers to develop their vision.

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Focus on Qatar. 2015

A very warm welcome to the Doha Film Institute’s inaugural Focus on Qatar showcase, part of our ongoing Hekayat Khaleejiya screening series dedicated to celebrating filmmakers from the Gulf region. We promise three days of cinema and events that will put the spotlight on the immense growth the Qatari film industry has undergone over the past five years.
Read More

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