Over 200 students will get admission to the full range of high-level courses offered by the Doha Film Institute (DFI) this year, an official said.
Students participating in a filmmaking workshop
Launched as part of its short film programme, the courses offer fledging filmmakers an opportunity to participate in high-quality workshops and hands-on professional training.
Participants will receive training in various aspects of filmmaking including story- telling, directing, camera techniques and acting.
A total of 13 students have been selected for a five-month short film workshop, which begin this month. They will attend evening and weekend sessions on scriptwriting, directing, cinematography and working with actor programmes, enabling them to produce 10-minute films at the end of the workshop.
They will learn about casting, location scouting and what needs to be done for pre-production. All films will be produced in Doha, using other students for crew and support.
The Short Film Workshop for 2011 includes Scriptwriting Workshop (February) hosted by Scandar Copti and Ritesh Batra; Storyboard Workshop (April) where students will learn under the guidance of Sabine El Chamma; Cinematography Workshop (May) guided by Ben Robinson, Justin Kramer and Thomas Hines, and Directing Actors Workshop (May) conducted by celebrated Palestinian actor Ashraf Farah.
“We offer a full range of high-level courses, from intensive film labs with internationally acclaimed directors to cultural partnerships with other leading film institutions around the world” said Copti, the Oscar-nominated Palestinian director and head of DFI Education.
The DFI received over 90 submissions from 25 nationalities including 18 Qatari applicants, representing a diverse mix of age groups (19-39) and cultural backgrounds.
All entries were evaluated by a script reading committee and after various deliberations, 13 students have been selected for a hands-on insight into the filmmaking process.
Last year, the DFI educated 156 students in filmmaking, following an intensive community outreach campaign that helped further enhance the educational offerings from the institute.
DFI’s year-round educational programmes aim to inspire and support a new generation of Qatari, regional and international filmmakers.
The institute in 2010 produced 40 short films, and had world-renowned instructors and mentors teach their students including sessions with Sandi Sissel, Shekhar Kapur, Ziad Doueiri, Danielle Arbid, Hisham Suleiman, Copti, Sabrina Dhawan, Geoffrey Gilmore and Ruba Nadda among others.
