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| Qatar Cinema & Film Distribution Company’s two halls in Najma screen Arab, Indian and English movies |
Filipino expatriates in Qatar, who number over 200,000, say cinemas in the country should start screening movies from the Philippines regularly.
“Our community has grown considerably in the last few years and there are scores of regular film watchers among us. Despite this, there is no movie hall in the country which screens Tagalog films,” rued William Elmose, a movie buff.
Some of his Filipino friends at the hotel where he works also feel there is a good market for Tagalog movies in Qatar. “There has been a substantial growth in the number of cinema screens in the country in the last 5-6 years with the arrival of so many new multiplexes. But no one has really studied the market for movies from our country,” said Tom, who works at a Doha hotel. He watches Tagalog movies on CDs brought by friends returning from vacation.
Alexander, a senior teacher, said only one cinema in Doha screened just three or four Philippine movies a year. “I don’t know why anyone is not taking the lead in screening Tagalog movies,” he said.
The Philippines has a strong tradition of movie-making even though the number of productions has fallen sharply in the last few years, from an average of 200 annually to less than 50.
“Despite this, Filipinos are regular moviegoers and there is a steady market for local films among our people,” said Elmose. “However, I don’t understand why movie halls in Doha are not showing Tagalog films, some of which have made headlines at international festivals in recent years.”
The Philippines’ film industry is more than 100 years old but firms running cinemas in the region seem to be unaware of the strides it has made, added Tim, his friend.
Even when there were fewer than 200,000 Indians in Qatar a decade ago, Indian movies were regularly screened at some cinemas, including the two halls in the Industrial Area and Musherieb which have closed down. “Along with the growth of the community, the frequency of screenings of Indian films has also gone up and they are shown at multiplexes too, besides the regular venue, Doha Cinema. However, the Filipino community which has grown manifold in the last few years has no chance to watch Tagalog movies anywhere in the country,” said Nandan, a regular Indian filmgoer.
A Tagalog movie, Won’t Last a Day without You, is being shown at City Center for three days starting yesterday. “We feel the cinema owners will consider screening more Tagalog movies in coming years,” said Tim.
When contacted, a senior official of the Qatar Cinema and Film Distribution Company said it was exploring the possibility of screening Tagalog movies regularly in view of the increasing interest among Filipino filmgoers.
