Doha Film Institute (DFI) joined Qatar Foundation International (QFI) on a weeklong educational trip focused on the Arabic language and storytelling, ‘Aber’, for students from the US and Qatar.
During their week in Doha, the students and their Qatari peers attended an afternoon workshop on storytelling, titled “Writing with Images”, at DFI. The workshop gave the students an opportunity to engage with young Qatari filmmakers and learn more about topics such as visual and cinematic themes of the Arabic language, the role of bringing Qatar’s rich narrative history into the 21st century and the nature of the local performance style in Qatar.
These topics were discussed by a wide range of guests, including Dr Khalid al-Mulla from the Qatar Heritage and Identity Centre; Saad Burshaid, Theatre Department Manager, Ministry of Culture; Hakim Belabbes, director of education and grants, DFI; and Ibrahim Yasser and Salman al-Muhannadi from Film for Change.
Mahdi Ali Ali, DFI’s Gulf Film Development manager, said: “As a film institute, we value the power of storytelling and understanding between different voices locally and internationally. Qatar has a rich heritage of storytelling and it is important for us to share our traditions with others. Our aim is to open an educational dialogue for the students where they can exchange their creative ideas and stories in a productive environment. We are pleased to host this workshop with Qatar Foundation International and we thank them for providing this platform.”
‘Aber’ is an annual QFI educational exchange that stems out of its Arabic Language and Culture programme, which aims to expand the study of the Arabic language and culture among public schools students in the US, Brazil and other countries. Aber takes on a different theme each year but with the same goal of expressing one’s identity and culture through Arabic language.
This year, the trip - titled “Aber, What’s Your Story?” - has taken on storytelling and included 23 students from five cities across the US (Dallas, Washington, DC, Honolulu, Tucson and Seattle), who have joined 24 of their Qatari peers on an educational adventure that focuses on practising and improving their Arabic-language skills - aligning with the Supreme Education Council’s goal of increasing and strengthening the spoken and writing knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic.
The workshop in progress.
