Renowned filmmaker Mira Nair and author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist Mohsin Hamid at the roundtable discussion at the Al Najada Boutique Hotel in Souq Waqif, yesterday.
By Fazeena Saleem
DOHA: Doha Tribeca Film Festival’s ‘Made in Qatar’ segment is seen by renowned filmmaker Mira Nair as a perfect venue to look for local talents as she look to support training more filmmakers from Doha.
“Made in Qatar’ is exciting, it’s a perfect place to look out for local filmmakers,” said Mira Nair, speaking to the media yesterday at the Al Najada boutique hotel in Souq Waqif.
“Doha Film Institute’s intention of training Qatari Youth remarkable. If we don’t tell our stories, who will tell? These are the ways to teach the fire,” said Mira, who had been with the DTFF since its launch in 2009.
Number of films screened in the ‘Made in Qatar’ section has increased significantly this year reflecting the growth in the local film industry.
Presenting talents of the local community 19 short and feature films are screened in this section.
DFI has been collaborating with Mira Nair on her educational initiative, Maisha Film Lab, which was established to foster East African, South Asian, and Arab filmmaking.
In 2011, six Qatari students were selected to represent Qatar in two screenwriting and filmmaking workshops.
Also four interns have been working in the film The Reluctant Fundamentalist, which opened this year’s DTFF.
Speaking about the making of the political thriller Mira said, “it was a long journey to make it a human thriller,” referring to how she adopt the novel by Mohsin Hamid about a Pakistani man working on Wall Street and finds himself embroiled in a conflict between his American Dream, a hostage crisis, and the enduring call of his family’s homeland.
Making a special reference to Riz Ahmad, the British Pakistani actor who played the lead role of The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Mira said, “he is as focused and deeply intelligent.”
Sharing his experience of The Reluctant Fundamentalist author Hamid also joined saying as many military attacks take place around the world the film is significant in its making.
“Making the film is part of the world; it gives a powerful universal message.”
According to Hamid the book written by a Pakistani, film directed by an Indian filmmaker, with North American cinephotographer, British, Pakistani, Indian and American artistes, as well as the film shot in Delhi, Istanbul, New York City, Atlanta, and Lahore, give the world a stronger message on co-existence.
The Peninsula
