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| DFI executive director, Amanda Palmer, flanked by the DFI programming team, resident film-maker and programmer, Chadi Zeneddine, chief Arab programmer, Hania Mroue and head of international programming, Ludmila Cvikova |
Doha Tribeca Film Festival officials have announced that the jury for the Arab Film Competition for Narrative Films will be led by Syrian director, Mohamed Malas while the inaugural jury for the Arab Documentary Film Competition is set to be led by award winning British documentary film-maker, Nick Broomfield.
The narrative jury will feature Robin Wright, (Moneyball, The Princess Bride, Forrest Gump), Lebanese actress Carmen Lebbos (Whatever Lola Wants, Zozo, West Beyrouth), Palme d’Or nominated Singaporean filmmaker, Eric Khoo (Tatsumi, My Magic, Mee pok man), and Golden Bear-winning film-maker Jasmila Zbanic (On the Path, Grbavica: Land of My Dreams).
Broomfield (Kurt & Courtney, Battle for Haditha, Biggie & Tupac), will be joined on the Arab Documentary jury by Moroccon film-maker, Hakim Belabbes (In Pieces, Threads) and Istanbul Film Festival Director, Azize Tan.
The British film-maker said of his appointment: “I’m really honoured to be selected as president of the documentary jury for DTFF this year. The Arab Documentary Competition lineup features some very strong contenders from film-makers throughout the Arab region including Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Lebanon and the UAE and I’m looking forward to discovering some new talent and aiding these films to find exposure around the world.”
This year’s section of documentaries cover a variety of themes, including politics and in particular, sports, with titles including David Fine’s Salaam Dunk, Asif Kapadia’s critically-acclaimed documentary Senna, and Broomfield’s Sarah Palin - You Betcha!, a documentary feature exploring the life of Republican, Sarah Palin.
“Bollywood will come alive before festival audiences in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Jeff Zimbalist’s spectacular music and dance-filled documentary Bollywood - The Greatest Love Story Ever Told, which features archival clips and interviews with many of Bollywood’s most prolific movie stars including Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and the late Shammi Kapoor,” added a spokesperson for the festival.
Each competition carries a prize of $100,000, a significant sum and a significant step towards financing future projects for the winners.
Commenting on the jury lineups for this year’s festival, executive director of DFI, Amanda Palmer, said: “The Arab Film Competition is an important regional and international platform for powerful and meaningful cinema.”
“We know that amongst our international jury is an unparalleled wealth of movie-watching experience and insight, and their combined efforts will help support the next generation of Arab film-making talent,” she added.
