DOHA: The world premiere of Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet received widespread acclaim at the Toronto International Film Festival this week where it was presented as a gala screening on Saturday, September 6 followed by press and industry screenings of the new film during the week.
Doha Film Institute, who co-financed the film, announced that the Middle East premiere will take place at the second edition of the Institute’s upcoming Ajyal Youth Film Festival on December 6. Fatma Al Remaihi, Acting CEO of Doha Film Institute and Director of the Ajyal Youth Film Festival was in attendance at the premiere alongside actress and producer Salma Hayek, voice actress Quvenzhane Wallis and popular Gulf film-maker, Mohammed Harib, creator of ‘Freej’ who is one of the nine directors of the project alongside award-winning artists from across the globe.
Each of the eight animated chapters which bring Gibran’s poetry to life were met with enthusiastic applause from the audience at the Ryerson theatre and Twitter reactions have been overwhelmingly positive with fans praising the visionary approach to the adaptation.
Fatma Al Remaihi, Acting CEO of the Doha Film Institute and Director of the Ajyal Youth Film Festival, said: “Gibran’s The Prophet is a work of literature that arises from our Arab culture and that resonates throughout the Middle East and indeed, around the world. We are proud to have been involved as a co-financier from the very early stages to bring this visionary work to the screen, and we are delighted to host its premiere in the Middle East during the Ajyal Youth Film Festival. For generations, people young and old have been inspired by Gibran’s lyrical poetry and I’m sure this film will only broaden the tremendous appeal of his work.”
Kaleem Aftab from “The National” reported Salma Hayek’s response following the screening: “I never expected that the audience would start clapping 20 minutes into the film — that was amazing,” said an ecstatic Hayek after the premiere. “That was the first time with the audience and it was more than I could expect. I was very moved and surprised and I just managed not to cry, by a little bit.”
THE PENINSULA
