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| A giant billboard featuring stars of Black Gold seen outside Katara, the Cultural Village. PICTURE: Jayan Orma |
As the third edition of the Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF) opens today, organisers have promised to offer something for every member of the community at an event which will mark a significant page in the cinematic history of Qatar. Executive director of the festival, Amanda Palmer explained that following a year’s worth of preparation, DTFF will provide a comprehensive programme of community orientated events to contribute towards the development of film in the country. “With the backbone and real anchor of DFI, we have been able to prepare a really exciting programme of events,” said Palmer, adding “I am really proud of the programming, but I am more proud of the community programming involved in the festival.”
And with over 50,000 visitors expected to attend over the five-day event, this year’s festival is shaping up to be one of the most significant occasions on the local cultural calendar.
Highlights of this year’s festival include the closing night screening of Luc Besson’s The Lady, the family day programming on Friday as well as a selection of master classes and panel discussions with industry insiders. Palmer also pointed out that the Giffoni experience, featuring some 160 children, is another highlight of the festival, as well as the Arab Film Competition and a new ‘Made in Qatar’ award, to be presented to a local filmmaker.
However, the crowning moment of DTFF 2011 will surely be the world premiere of the Doha Film Institute co-financed film, Black Gold which takes place at the Katara open air theatre tonight. With stars including Antonio Banderas and Freida Pinto set to walk the red carpet this evening, the screening of the first Hollywood epic to be partly shot in Qatar is creating a tangible buzz around the festival.
“It’s going to be wonderful tonight, it’s part of Qatar’s cinematic history,” said Palmer.
Tickets for the screening of the film sold out within one hour of going on sale, and additional seating was also fully booked within minutes of being made available. However, Palmer explained that fans who have been unable to secure a ticket for the screening should not be too disappointed, as they will be able to watch the film in Qatar after its regional release on December 1.
Despite the excitement surrounding Black Gold, Palmer was keen to point out that the glitz and glamour of Hollywood stars represents only one aspect of the festival, which has a huge variety of different activities set to take place during the five-day event. “The message we are trying to get across is the extent of the five days of the festival. We are taking it to the next level to elevate the experience and help to create a culture of film.”
“This kind of community programming is unique anywhere around the world,” she added.
She highlighted certain titles, such as Salaam Dunk and Senna, as films around which DFI have organised community events.
Palmer explained that 17 of the Iraqi girls who star in Salaam Dunk will be taking part in friendly basketball matches against local teams in Qatar, while they have also arranged for a number of activities based around Formula One racing to bring an audience to Senna.
“I am proud of all the films we have this year. They are beyond world class and I am thrilled by that,” said Palmer.
The continued growth and development of DTFF is testament to the efforts DFI has exerted to develop a culture of cinema in Qatar, and screening Black Gold in its home city will be quite the special icing on what promises to be a very exciting cake.
Parking, shuttle service for visitors
With thousands of residents expected to attend Doha Tribeca Film Festival over the coming days, officials have advised visitors to use the public parking area adjacent to Katara as there is no public parking available inside the cultural village.
A DTFF representative explained that shuttle buses will run from the parking area into the various festival locations throughout the five-day event, with a number of buses providing a shuttle service every five minutes.
Shuttles will also run from City Center Doha, the Ritz-Carlton and the W Hotel, transporting guests into Katara for the festival. Guests will also be able to make use of the shuttle buses to travel around Katara itself, with routes covering the Katara open air theatre, the Katara Opera House, the falconry and other sites within the festival grounds.