Globally acclaimed Indian filmmaker Mira Nair’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist which opened the 69th Venice Film Festival on Wednesday to rave reviews, will mark its Mena premiere as the opening film of the fourth Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF) on November 17. The Doha Film Institute (DFI) financed film is based on the best-selling novel of the same title by noted Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid.Translated into 25 languages, The Reluctant Fundamentalist follows the story of a young Pakistani man, chasing corporate success on Wall Street, who ultimately finds himself embroiled in a conflict between his American Dream, a hostage crisis, and the enduring call of his family’s homeland.The film has a stellar cast including Riz Ahmed (Four Lions, Black Gold); Academy Award nominee Kate Hudson (Almost Famous, Nine); Golden Globe winner Kiefer Sutherland (24); Liev Schreiber (Salt, Wolverine); Indian National Film Awards winner Shabana Azmi (Godmother, Fire); and BAFTA Award nominee Om Puri (East is East, Arohan), among others.
Adapted by Bill Wheeler, with a screen story by Mohsin Hamid, and Ami Boghani and produced by Lydia Dean Pilcher, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, is a Mirabai Films and Cine Mosaic production.Mira Nair said: “We are thrilled with the honour of The Reluctant Fundamentalist opening the Doha Tribeca Film Festival - made all the sweeter after the 5-year odyssey it has been making this film. A lovely send-off for a tale that couldn’t be more timely for the world we live in today. It is rare to be able to make a global film that is both political and personal. DFI provided instrumental support from the beginning, their unstirring faith in this timely story made it happen against all odds.”Issa bin Mohamed al-Mohannadi, DTFF vice chair, said: “As a festival committed to promoting cultural understanding and appreciation through cinema, we are excited to open with Mira’s latest creative work that will connect with our audiences, is topically relevant and complements our mandate to support meaningful cinema. “Films are a medium to bring together diverse views to promote the spirit of dialogue and discussion. DTFF provides a platform to support the development of a grassroots film culture in Qatar and will contribute to shaping a vibrant film industry in the region.”Renowned filmmaker, Mira Nair has over 25 films to her credit, which have won her numerous laurels in the global film circuit including Monsoon Wedding, Salaam Bombay, The Namesake, Amelia, Vanity Fair, and Mississippi Masala, among others.DFI has been collaborating with Mira Nair on her educational initiative, Maisha Film Lab, which was established to foster East African, South Asian, and Arab filmmaking. In 2011, six Qatari students were selected to represent Qatar in two screenwriting and filmmaking workshops.DTFF 2012, scheduled to be held from November 17 to 24, 2012, will also shine the spotlight on Algeria to celebrate its 50 years of independence. The Festival will pay tribute to the country’s rich, cinematic history and its contribution to the evolving Mena film landscape, through a compelling showcase of classic and new-age Algerian films. This year’s edition of DTFF has been expanded to eight days to provide audiences a more comprehensive and enriching cultural experience with new screening venues in Doha. Indoor and outdoor screenings will also take place at Katara Cultural Village and Museum of Islamic Art.