Doha Film Institute (DFI) will support the showcasing of seven films from up-and-coming filmmakers as part of the Made in Qatar programme for the sixth Gulf Film Festival (GFF), which is to be held in Dubai’s Media City from April 11 to 17.
The Made in Qatar films will give audiences at the festival the opportunity to explore Qatar and its creative aspirations through a series of independent short films.
Festival director Masoud Amralla al-Ali said: “We are consistently impressed with the quality of submissions from Qatari filmmakers, which is a great example of the burgeoning film industry in Qatar. The talented filmmakers are testament of programmes like Made in Qatar, created by Doha Film Institute, which is dedicated to bringing these shorts onto a global stage. This year’s line-up of films presents a panorama of the country and its culture, which will educate, inform and entertain
audiences at GFF.”
Fatma al-Remaihi, head of programmes at DFI, said the regional acceptance of Made in Qatar films is a testament to the creativity and hard work of emerging talent from Qatar. “We are incredibly proud of the films that have been selected to screen for regional audiences at GFF. They exemplify what can materialise when young filmmakers are given the tools, support and education to be able to bring their stories to life. The selected shorts will offer a glimpse into the imagination and creativity of Qatari youth who share a common goal to strengthen and promote the regional film
industry.”
First-time filmmakers Robert Arlo Deguzman and Kennedy Somera explore the issues of home, identity and belonging through a series of dream-like images in the short Transient.
Tarek Abu-Esber questions the daily routine of a local Qatari in the short Al-Muqanna3 (Masked), which follows Ahmed al-Jaber as he drives his breathtakingly designed vehicles - adorned with flags, golden ornaments and lights - on the Corniche in Doha.
Then there is Esmah (His Name) by actor-director Hend Fakhro, who is influenced by her grandfather. The film focuses on a Qatari woman and the unexpected friendship she has with a man who cleans the streets of her neighbourhood.
Ghazil - The Story of Rashed and Jawaher, inspired by William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, revolves around the trials and tribulations of a strict family, a jealous cousin and the society as enemy; it is set in the Gulf in the early 1900s.
Aspiring filmmaker Sara al-Derham has crafted a tale of two devoted hearts fighting against all odds. It poses the question - how far will one go for love?
Established director Riad Makdessi will introduce his latest thought-provoking short, 8 Billion, to the GFF audience this year. Set in the slightly surreal world of Doha, a city of expatriates, and amid a landscape of luxurious lifestyles, two young people find that they are not only lost in an unfamiliar culture far from their families but - more significantly -lost in their
self-inflicted isolation.
Lyrics Revolt is the impressive work of four women directors - Shannon Farhoud, Melanie Fridgant, Rana al-Khatib and Ashlene Ramadan. The documentary delves into the lives of leading Arab artistes - young rappers, hip-hop artistes and beat-boxers - who employ the sharp political edge of hip-hop during this game-changing time for the Mena region and beyond.
The selected films were screened as part of the Made in Qatar programme at Doha Tribeca Film
Festival 2012.
