‘Made in Qatar films’ ready for public screening by August 25
Doha Film Institute joined hands with Embrace Doha to stage a public screening at Souq Al Wakra to further sustain the collaboration between Qatar’s local community and homegrown talents. Embrace Doha is an independent culture house.
With the goal to make movie screenings of Doha Film Institute publicly more accessible while promoting community engagement, the new partnership will begin with the first-ever public screening of local films on August 25, 2022 in Wakra. It would be a ‘Made in Qatar’ showcasing of six short films. Numerous among them are award-winning ventures turning the spotlight on immense creativity and talent encompassing the nation. September 15, 2022 is the date scheduled for the second screening.
"As we prepare for the tenth edition of our flagship Ajyal Film Festival in a year of unprecedented excitement in the nation, we are further enhancing our local partnerships and creating vibrant platforms for the wider community in Qatar to discover stories originating from our country. Such events help amplify voices from Qatar's growing national film industry and unlock opportunities for emerging home-grown creators to drive the creation of compelling content from our region and foster understanding through artistic dialogue," said Fatma Hassan Al Remaihi, Chief Executive Officer, Doha Film Institute.
She added, "Our partnership with Embrace Doha will create another inspiring venue for the public to applaud and appreciate the enthusiasm, creativity and passion of our nation's exciting voices in film, with locally conceived ideas that are being celebrated outside Qatar."
By 7:00 PM, Embrace Doha will be screening six groundbreaking short films on the eve of August 25, 2022. This bunch of incredible movies would include different genres like short narratives, animation, and documentaries all directed by very talented Qatari and Qatar-based filmmakers. Providing more members of the society to watch such inspirational and thought-provoking films, a second screening will be held on September 15, 2022.
Captivating programme of documentaries, short form narratives, and animations include:
Smicha (2017), by Amal Al-Muftah, is about a seven-year-old girl Lulwa who dotes on her elderly grandfather depicting that love is not found in blurry details but in a powerful bond that never fades; Al Johara (2016) by Nora Al-Subai, is a vivid tale about a young lady who is forced to become a servant in her own home by her evil stepfamily. With the assistance of an eccentrically traditional neighbor, she might be able to attend her very first wedding.
Award-winning documentary, The Palm Tree (2015) by Jassim Al Rumaihi is a concise poetic interpretation of the grand tree that is considered a significant symbol of culture and legacy across the Arab world; Directed by Obada Yousef Jarbi, Fishermen (2017) is a story of three fishermen who take off from the jam-packed city pinnacles and lights.
Voices from the Urbanscape (2017), a travelogue by Shaima Al Tamimi and Mariam Salim express visions of construction in contemporary Doha neatly expressing its nearly manic pace of growth, while various voices from the community describe the city’s progress and discuss its cosmopolitan personality; The repetitive actions of men and machines become a dance of grace and beauty in Makhbz (2015) by Aisha Al Muhannadi transforms the making of bread in Madinat Khalifa into a mesmerizing vision.
Animated titles include Where Are You Right Meow? (2018) by Maysam Al-Ani is about a young artist, Ayako who struggles with creative block. Suddenly, her beloved cat Beru goes missing, and she goes to look for him around her neighborhood. During her search though, cat is not the only one that gets lost; Director Kholood Al Ali’s Red (2017) is about a shy and lonely boy trudging through an abandoned urban landscape where he sees a pair of red trainers hanging from a telephone wire.
“We would like to welcome everyone into our cultural house and experience local filmmaking in a traditional Qatari majlis. We hope that we can use Doha Film Institute’s platform and talents to amplify Qatar’s rich cultural heritage to the masses,” said Shaima Sherif, Managing Director of Embrace Doha.
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main image credit: Doha Film Institute
