The Doha Film Institute (DFI) has been an instrumental and crucial asset for filmmakers in the region, specifically in Qatar, serving as a platform to create meaningful films and to further their careers, Qatari filmmaker Majid al-Remaihi has said.
“Numerous films that have been produced either through the DFI Documentary Film Labs or that have gone through platforms, such as Qumra, are now selected and presented at platforms such as Tribeca, Venice, and Cannes,” he noted.
Al-Remaihi made history after his film *And Then They Burn the Sea, along with four other DFI-supported films, was selected to screen at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, which opened on August 4 and closes on August 14)
It is the first Qatari film chosen for the official in-competition segment.
The Qatari director said filmmakers and the DFI exerted extraordinary efforts in creating high-quality films amid many challenges, including the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
“I’d say both the filmmakers and the DFI staff have worked tremendously hard this past year and a half, and have given so much to overcome these obstacles, and we’re now seeing the fruits of their labour,” al-Remaihi said.
“This project (*And Then They Burn the Sea) received enormous support from the DFI (from) its initial stages, and had been given the care it needed, given its sensitive and personal nature,” he stressed. “I am grateful for it, and I think the sort of space of opportunity that the DFI creates for young local filmmakers is immeasurable.”
About becoming the first Qatari filmmaker selected in a prestigious international film festival, he said he was “happy to represent the film internationally and the many efforts and contributions which went into making it”.
“As cliché as it sounds, but this film deeply connected me to numerous people and continues to do so, which is an outcome that always feels very gratifying,” al-Remaihi said. “It’s only a single short film – even if it were the first from Qatar – and it’s hard for me to foresee the impact it can have on the entire industry, but I am hopeful, and want, to see more Qatari films receive this kind of visibility.”
About the film’s title, he said it is “a description of a pre-oil ritual in the Gulf that women performed by the sea to lament their sons and husbands, who may or may not return from their pearl diving trips”.
“As part of the ritual, the women ‘burn’ the brutal sea to render some sort of meaning out of their imminent loss,” the director explained. “That kind of mourning ritual against the ‘irretrievable’ resonated a lot with me.”
About the film’s message and what makes it special compared to his other films, al-Remaihi said: “The initial seeds of the film originated from a point in my life where I eagerly wanted to come to terms with my relationship to memory, its unreliability, and the power it had over my own sense of being in the world.”
“At the same time when my mother was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, I began to feel acutely aware of the memories I had of her, and from her, and what space they occupied alongside the terminal memory loss that she was experiencing, and which I was subconsciously mourning,” he added.
Asked about tips for aspiring filmmakers, al-Remaihi said: “I think you never stop being an ‘aspiring’ filmmaker regardless of any minor achievements, because every film should bring about its own crucial challenges that you can never be too prepared or experienced for.”
“It’s good to remember that every time you make a film, there is a mode of learning and readjustment that is as much about being open to new ideas and feelings as it is about assuming confidence,” he noted. “Also, humility in filmmaking is really important, and often gets understated or disregarded.”
Al-Remaihi made history after his film *And Then They Burn the Sea, along with four other DFI-supported films, was selected to screen at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, which opened on August 4 and closes on August 14)
It is the first Qatari film chosen for the official in-competition segment.
The Qatari director said filmmakers and the DFI exerted extraordinary efforts in creating high-quality films amid many challenges, including the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
“I’d say both the filmmakers and the DFI staff have worked tremendously hard this past year and a half, and have given so much to overcome these obstacles, and we’re now seeing the fruits of their labour,” al-Remaihi said.
“This project (*And Then They Burn the Sea) received enormous support from the DFI (from) its initial stages, and had been given the care it needed, given its sensitive and personal nature,” he stressed. “I am grateful for it, and I think the sort of space of opportunity that the DFI creates for young local filmmakers is immeasurable.”
About becoming the first Qatari filmmaker selected in a prestigious international film festival, he said he was “happy to represent the film internationally and the many efforts and contributions which went into making it”.
“As cliché as it sounds, but this film deeply connected me to numerous people and continues to do so, which is an outcome that always feels very gratifying,” al-Remaihi said. “It’s only a single short film – even if it were the first from Qatar – and it’s hard for me to foresee the impact it can have on the entire industry, but I am hopeful, and want, to see more Qatari films receive this kind of visibility.”
About the film’s title, he said it is “a description of a pre-oil ritual in the Gulf that women performed by the sea to lament their sons and husbands, who may or may not return from their pearl diving trips”.
“As part of the ritual, the women ‘burn’ the brutal sea to render some sort of meaning out of their imminent loss,” the director explained. “That kind of mourning ritual against the ‘irretrievable’ resonated a lot with me.”
About the film’s message and what makes it special compared to his other films, al-Remaihi said: “The initial seeds of the film originated from a point in my life where I eagerly wanted to come to terms with my relationship to memory, its unreliability, and the power it had over my own sense of being in the world.”
“At the same time when my mother was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, I began to feel acutely aware of the memories I had of her, and from her, and what space they occupied alongside the terminal memory loss that she was experiencing, and which I was subconsciously mourning,” he added.
Asked about tips for aspiring filmmakers, al-Remaihi said: “I think you never stop being an ‘aspiring’ filmmaker regardless of any minor achievements, because every film should bring about its own crucial challenges that you can never be too prepared or experienced for.”
“It’s good to remember that every time you make a film, there is a mode of learning and readjustment that is as much about being open to new ideas and feelings as it is about assuming confidence,” he noted. “Also, humility in filmmaking is really important, and often gets understated or disregarded.”