A cinematic celebration of the state of filmmaking in the country, Made in Qatar presented by Ooredoo, opened with a red carpet event in the presence of His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani; and HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, chairperson of the Doha Film Institute (DFI), as part of DFI’s 8th Ajyal Film Festival at Lusail’s first-ever Drive-In Cinema on Thursday night (November 19).
Shining a light on emerging Qatari directors and Qatar-based filmmakers, the programme returns with 16 inspiring short-form narratives and documentaries to delight audiences of all ages and capture the diverse stories of our community.
DFI has supported 12 participating shorts, including Stranger, Under the Lemon Tree, Ander, and Al Tabbab, which will vie for the Made in Qatar Awards, chosen by a jury that includes filmmaker Kamal Aljafari, composer Dana Alfardan, and producer Marie Balducchi.
Thursday night’s screening featured eight films from Made in Qatar Programme 1 by: Abdulla Mohammed al-Janahi (Hope), Meriem Mesraoua (Under Her Skin), Hassan al-Jahni (Emsahar), Yasser Mustafa and Christophe Buffet (Stranger), Suzannah Mirghani (Al-Sit), Obada Yousef Jarbi (Woman of Steel), Abdulaziz Yousif and Latifa al-Darwish (Ya Hoota), and Khalifa al-Mana (Al Tabbab).
Made in Qatar Programme 2 will premiere at Lusail’s Drive-In Cinema at 6.30pm today November (21). It includes eight inspiring shorts by: Alessandra El Chanti (Watar El Ghurbeh), Ibrahim Albuainain (Smile You Deserve It), Hissa G al-Mannai (Beyond Broken Walls), Alina Mustafina (Ander), Muhammed Noufal (Shringar), Maysaa Almumin (J’ai Le Cafard), Mariam al-Dhubhan (No Words), and Noor al-Asswad (Under the Lemon Tree).