DFI pays homage to French comedian-auteur Jacques Tati

Taking place in March during the worldwide celebration of Francophone week, and as part of the Katara-Doha Film Institute Cinema Series, DFI will showcase four films - through new digital restorations - that are being shown in the Gulf region for the first time.

The showcase includes Jour de fête (1949), M Hulot’s Holiday (1954), Mon oncle (1958) and Playtime (1967). The four films will be screened at Katara Drama Theatre from March 17 to 20 at 7.30pm.

Jacques Tati: the showcase will feature four of his films.

Tati’s style of filmmaking was truly distinct and his films are considered timeless classics. He garnered global acclaim, with Mon oncle scooping the Cannes Jury Prize and Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Over the course of his career, Tati worked as an actor, writer and director, and is best known for his trademark slapstick comedy and his gentle critique of the modern world.

Jean-Christophe Peaucelle, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of France to Qatar, will attend the official opening of the showcase featuring Jour de fête on March 17.

A special screening of Playtime will be held exclusively for school students at 10am on March 20 as part of DFI’s ongoing year-round activities for young people in the community.

Ludmila Cvikova, head of film programming at DFI, said: “We are very proud to provide our audiences in Qatar with the opportunity to experience the work of beloved French director Jacques Tati.”

Peaucelle said, “I am delighted that local audiences will have the opportunity to experience the magic of Tati’s films on the big screen during the upcoming Semaine de la Francophonie.”

Screening on March 17, Jour de fête - Tati’s first feature film - follows François, the local postman, who is hard at work delivering the daily mail on his bicycle on the day his village is having its annual fête.

M Hulot’s Holiday brought Tati’s style of comedy to the world. The film introduces the audience to M Hulot, Tati’s iconic Frenchman, who always seems to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Five years after his debut, M Hulot reappears in Tati’s Mon oncle, in which the character has a series of very funny run-ins with the superficial trappings of modern life in France.

Playtime takes place over the course of 24 hours, as M Hulot meanders through the streets of a hyper-modern Paris.

Tickets, on sale since yesterday, for single screenings cost QR35 per person and QR25 per student. A special Tati ticket package is available for QR80. For more information, visit www.dohafilminstitute.com

Organisers seeking information about bookings for school groups can contact [email protected]

The Francophone week will be celebrated in Qatar from March 16 to 22 under the high patronage of HE the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kuwari. For details, visit www. institutfrancais-qatar.com