From left: Filmmakers Jan Xavier Pacle, Ahmed Ibrahim Al Baker, Ali Al Ansari, Ashlene Ramadan, Shannon Farhoud, Melanie Fridgant, Rana Al Khatib during a photocall at Al Mirqab Hotel yesterday. Shaival Dalal
BY RAYNALD C RIVERA
DOHA: Young promising filmmakers in Qatar are keen on nurturing a filmmaking culture in the country by making more movies that communicate to a wider audience diverse issues that both inform and entertain.
The directors of one of the feature films in Made in Qatar section, Shannon Farhoud, Ashlene Ramadan, Melanie Fridgant and Rana Khaled Al Khatib said that their production company plans to focus on ‘soft news’ stories from the Arab world that will engage all sections of audiences, especially the youth.
“Our film Lyrics Revolt is a perfect start to tell these stories to young people,” said Al Khatib, adding, making the film was a memorable experience that made a big impact in her life as a director.
Lyrics Revolt captures the story of Arab artistes who draw on the sharp edges of hip hop as pro-democracy revolutions swept through the region to express their aspirations.
“I knew many things about the region but the music of these artists provided me more information on what they were doing and why they were doing it,” said Farhoud of the experience of creating the film which took them to various countries across the Arab world. The all-female directors took the risk of travelling to other countries to interview hip hop artistes on their personal views and motivations in pursuing music in relation to their countries and recent developments in the region.
Filipino director Jan Xavier Pacle, whose film Angel in June, was entirely shot in Qatar and was based on a real life story, said he has commenced work on a short film and is also working on a more ambitious “intercultural love story separated by time,” to be shot in Qatar, touching on the Arab Spring in Libya.
Pacle, who manages his own production company, RenderFarm and whose short film was screened at DTFF last year, said returning to the festival has boosted his confidence as it “proves my skills are moving forward.”
Originally Angel in June, he said, was planned to be made into a short film about Angel, who despite suffering from leukaemia busied herself with impromptu acts of charity and kindness. “But when we heard her story, I knew it had to be in a bigger format.”
He added that the film was made mostly by volunteers who did not have knowledge on filmmaking but who believed in the story and were moved by it and the production costs which reached QR100,000 were covered through contributions from the Filipino community in Qatar, who gave full support to the film.
Qatari directors Mohamed Al Ibrahim and Ahmed Al Baker of Lockdown: Red Moon Escape, the first the zombie thriller in Qatar, has already been working on several film projects and said they will continue to focus on creating various films such as drama, thriller and documentary from a global perspective.
The duo said the choice of a zombie tale as the theme of their film was not to fall into clichés and give a global perspective by exploring a genre that they hadn’t attempted before. On an Arab filmmaker’s comment that young directors must not attempt thrillers, they said no one must tell others what to film or not to film, adding that it is the filmmakers’ prerogative.
On comments saying the theme of zombies does not conform to their culture, they said such concepts are part of the region’s myth and folklore which should be preserved. Lyrics Revolt, Angel in June and Lockdown are the three feature films competing along with 16 short films for the Made in Qatar section of DTFF whose winner will receive $10,000 and will be revealed at the awards ceremony tonight along with major awardees.
The Peninsula
