The multi-media show, which forms part of the fifth Ajyal Film Festival at the Katara – the Cultural Village, presents the works of ‘Qatar creative community champions’ and highlights the creative movement that emerged as a reaction to the illegal siege.
“All the works exhibited here have been produced by individuals motivated to speak up against the unfair treatment levelled on their nation. They saw an injustice occurring in the world and used art to fight it,” the Doha Film Institute (DFI) said in a statement.
Dozens of paintings, installations, caricatures and photographs depict positive messages about Qatar’s wise leadership, unity, religiosity, strength, and resilience in a time of adversity and challenges.
Most of the artworks’ titles speak for themselves and show nearly their real and exact message and meaning such as ‘To Lie More’ by Abdul Aziz Sadeq, ‘My Tribe is Qatar’ and ‘Demands’ by Abdulaziz Yousef, ‘We Are Better Without You’ and Best Days Of Our Life’ by Ammar Alqamash, ‘Qill Them With Qindness,’ They Want Us Under Their Tutelage’ and ‘Qatar Deals with the Jinn by Mohamed Abdul Latif, ‘The Maze of Dialogue’ by Ghada al-Khater, and ‘Flatterers & Fools’ by Fatima Mousa.
“It has been a truly awe-inspiring to witness such a powerful grassroots campaign take hold and grow,” DFI noted. “Qataris and expatriates came together like never before to produce art that not only created a genuine sense of community but also unified a country.”
DFI added that the artists’ works echoed across the nation and “gave residents from diverse backgrounds a common cause and shared sense of belonging.”
According to festival director and DFI CEO Fatma al-Remaihi, the people of Qatar celebrated their love for the country across all platforms, standing in solidarity with the nation through unwavering optimism, patriotism and pride.
Many festival-goers write messages of solidarity and love for Qatar on the Ajyal Wall.
Leblockade also features 17 short films, which are sample of the grassroots filmmaking movement that took place in the summer of this year, including Adbulla Khuzaei’s ‘Electric National Anthem,’ Yousef al-Madadi’s ‘We Used to Live with Them,’ Dana Mohamed’s Pearls of Wisdom’ and Fahad al-Kuwari and Waheed Khan’s ‘GCC Feud.’
To fight fake news spread by the Saudi-led bloc, some of these films highlight the normalcy in the lives of residents in the country and how it becomes stronger as the siege continues.
Meanwhile, Yasser Mustafa’s ‘What Qatar Means to You’ tells the positive reactions of several people from different countries about the country’s impact to them while ‘We Used to Live With Them’ reflects the reality experienced by some Qatar residents and the situation of those who have lost something as a result of the blockade.
“The works of these champions also highlight the importance of film as a powerful medium that raises awareness, clears misconceptions and counters the phenomena of fake news,” al-Remaihi said. “The Qatari film industry is thriving, thanks to the efforts of its creative talents across film and media industries.”
The Smurfs welcome families and children who spend their weekend at the festival. PICTURES: Joey Aguilar.
Simple yet powerful artworks and short films at LeBlockade exhibition have become “a consolidating and motivating force” in helping Qatar transform the challenges over an unjust blockade imposed by neighbouring countries.
