DOHA: Northwestern University-Qatar’s (NU-Q) student work was showcased remarkably at this year’s DTFF Made in Qatar series with three short films premiering at Katara’s Opera House
The films were Sara Al Derham’s “Ghazil – The Story of Rashed and Jawaher,” a family drama taking place in the Gulf 100 years ago; “Bader,” a documentary about a boy who uses poetry to overcome problems at his local school, by Sara Al Saadi, Latifa Abdulla Al Darwish and Maaria Assami; and Amna Al Khalaf’s animation about a woman following her heart, “Brains of Empowerment.”
Al Khalaf commented that she drew on Qatar’s diversity for inspiration, saying “I try to combine folklore and traditions of different cultures to try and send a meaningful message.”
The showcase of locally produced films boasts a record 19 films this year, four of which were made by alumni and graduates of Northwestern University in Qatar’s journalism and communication programmes.
In an effort to project Qatar’s growing creative talent onto an ever-bigger stage, Doha Film Institute and Northwestern University in Qatar co-hosted the opening night of the series in style with a red carpet screening and hip-hop concert at Katara’s corniche on Sunday.
The sold-out screening featured the premiere of ‘Lyrics Revolt,’ a feature-length documentary about hip-hop and the Arab Spring.
The film was produced by NU-Q alumni Shannon Farhoud, Ashlene Ramadan, Rana Khaled, and Melanie Fridgant, and received cheers from the audience throughout the night.
The Peninsula
