Silver screen awaits ‘Focus on Qatar’

Doha Film Institute’s ‘Focus on Qatar 2016’ beginning tomorrow at the Museum of Islamic Art will shine the spotlight on the country’s filmmakers, who actively pursue the art of documentaries.
Seven short documentaries directed by Qatari talent will be screened to the public tomorrow at 7.30pm, as part of a three-day programme which include diverse stories inspired from the Qatari heritage, life in the country and the shifting trends in the socio-cultural landscape. All screenings and events at Focus on Qatar are free to the public on a first-come, first-seat basis.
“We are proud of the accomplishments by our young and emerging filmmaking talents, whose stories and vision have struck a chord with audiences in Qatar and the region,” said Fatma al-Remaihi, CEO, DFI.
‘Focus on Qatar’ 2016 will screen a collection of noteworthy short documentaries that Qatar has produced in the past years, either through the Institute’s training programmes or by independent directors or by students of educational establishments the Institute has relationships with.
The event highlights the achievements of the home-grown industry, from an increasing talent pool of local creative professionals to a surge in film production activities (from 15 production houses in 2010 to 46 in 2016).
The documentaries to be screened are: Bader (Qatar, US, Syria/2012) directed by Sara al-Saadi, Maaria Assami and Latifa al-Darwish; Al 7amal (Qatar/2015) by Amal al-Muftah; The Palm Tree (Qatar/2015) by Jassim al-Rumaihi; Inside Out (Qatar/2015) by Fahad al-Obaidly and Salwa al-Khalifa; To My Mother (Qatar/2015) by Amina Ahmed al-Bloshi; The Notebook (Qatar/2015) by Amna al-Binali and Mubarak Al Malik (Qatar/2016) by Aisha R al-Muhannadi.
Bader is the story of a young boy trying to find his place in an all-boys’ elementary school. The documentary highlights the boy’s struggle with his identity, and how he comes to rely on poetry to help him overcome his challenges. The documentary was named Best Film in the Made in Qatar section at the 2012 Doha Tribeca Film Festival and won the Jury Award in Short Documentary competition at Emirates Film Competition, and a special mention in the Short Film Competition at the Gulf Film Festival.
Al 7amal looks at the sometimes difficult lives of the ‘hamali’, the porters who assist shoppers at Qatar’s most-visited market, Doha’s Souq Waqif.
The Palm Tree, winner of the 2015 Ajyal Youth Film Festival Made in Qatar Award for Best Documentary, is mainly shot using disorienting close-ups, and an observational documentary that shows us how unnatural nature can be, and unearths the science fiction in reality.
Inside Out explores the rapid and far-reaching transformations which Qatar has experienced in recent years, and the ongoing changes taking place today. It was developed during the DFI’s 2015 Documentary Lab.
In To My Mother, the director follows her mother Noura, who at 40 years, is at last accomplishing her dream of getting an education. Married at the age of 11, Noura was never given the chance to go to school. For most of her life, she was the wife and mother society expected her to be. But when her youngest child began his studies, so did she. The documentary celebrates Noura’s tremendous achievement.
The Notebook had won the Special Mention in the documentary category at Ajyal Youth Film Festival 2015. It is a diarist film that explores the limits of personal boundaries and the complicated dynamics of inner lives through the life of Nora who is trying to make a film for the first time.
Mubarak Al Malik (Qatar/2015) is a short documentary profile on artist al-Malik, as he speaks about his artistic practice and how he connects Qatar’s past to its present using classical and contemporary media. The director captures al-Malik in action as he creates a large-scale mural with spray paint, while he discusses his inspiration, his love for rugby and the freedom and inspiration he feels when riding his Harley through the desert.
‘Focus on Qatar’ will also foster insightful discussion on the art and future of documentary filmmaking.
On Thursday, a special ‘Al-Jazeera Documentary Network Showcase’ will be held at 7.30pm.
On the final day, ‘Focus on Qatar’ will host two industry panel discussions – on ‘The State of Documentary in the Gulf’ at 4pm and on the ‘Next Generation of Documentary Filmmakers’ at 7.30pm. The discussions will highlight the opportunities for documentary filmmakers including the DFI workshops, grants and the Qatar Film Fund, which supports filmmaking in Qatar, and is a forum for local talent to discuss their experiences throughout the filmmaking process.