DOHA: Doha Film Institute (DFI) will showcase six ‘Made in Qatar’ films at the sixth Gulf Film Festival (GFF), which runs from Thursday to April 17 at Dubai’s Media City.
The films, which were screened at last year’s Doha Tribeca Film Festival, will present audiences at the GFF with a unique and valuable opportunity to explore Qatar and its creative aspirations through a series of innovative and enlightening independent short films.
Fatma Al Remaihi, Head of Programmes at DFI said the regional acceptance of “Made in Qatar” films is a testament to the creativity and hard work of emerging talent from Qatar, committed to expressing their voices.
“We are incredibly proud of the films that have been selected to screen for regional audiences at GFF. They exemplify what can materialise when young filmmakers are given the tools, support and education to be able to bring their stories to life. The selected shorts will offer a glimpse into the imagination and creativity of Qatari youth who share a common goal to strengthen and promote the regional film industry,” she said.
“We are consistently impressed with the quality of the submissions from Qatari filmmakers which is a great example of the burgeoning film industry in Qatar. These talented filmmakers are testament of programmes like “Made In Qatar” created by DFI who are dedicated to bringing these shorts onto a global stage. This year’s line-up of films presents a panorama of the country and its culture that will educate, inform and entertain audiences at GFF,” said Masoud Amralla Al Ali, GFF Festival Director.
First time filmmakers Robert Arlo Deguzman and Kennedy Somera explore the issues of home, identity and belonging through a series of dream-like images in the compelling short Transient.
Tarek Abu-Esber questions the daily routine of a local Qatari in the short Al Muqanna3 (Masked) which follows Ahmed Al Jaber who drives his breathtakingly designed vehicles — adorned with flags, golden ornaments and lights — on the Corniche in Doha.
Acclaimed actor and director Hend Fakhro’s first foray into film titled Esmah (His Name) focuses on a Qatari woman and the unexpected friendship that is initiated with the man who cleans the streets of her neighbourhood.
Ghazil — The Story of Rashed and Jawaher inspired by William Shakesperes’ Romeo and Juliet revolves around the trials and tribulations of a strict family, a jealous cousin and society as enemy set in the Gulf in the early 1900s, by aspiring filmmaker Sara Al Derham.
Established director Riad Makdessi’s thought-provoking short 8 Billlion is set in the slightly surreal world of Doha, a city of expatriates, in which two young people find that they are not only lost in an unfamiliar culture far from their families but, more significantly, they are lost in their own self-inflicted isolation.
Lyrics Revolt is the work of four women directors Shannon Farhoud, Melanie Fridgant, Rana Al Khatib and Ashlene Ramadan. This documentary delves into the lives of leading Arab artists — young rappers, hip-hop artists, and beat-boxers — who employ the sharp political edge of hip hop during this game-changing time for the Mena region and beyond.
The Peninsula
