Still from Embodiment.
DOHA: Doha Film Institute (DFI) is setting a new benchmark in highlighting Qatari film talent at international film festivals with seven short films, all made in Qatar, being presented as the ‘Shortcuts to Qatar’ segment at the prestigious 24th Sarajevo Film Festival.
Running till yesterday, August 17, Sarajevo Film Festival, one of Europe’s largest film events, further adds to the pride of Qatar with a total of 19 films supported by DFI in its programming.
Of the 19 films, nine films are in the Official Selection, while three are showcased as part of the CineLink Co-Production Market and Work in Progress platform.
The films at Sarajevo are recipients of the Grants Programme, the Qatari Film Fund or past Qumra projects and other development initiatives steered by DFI.
Fatma Al Remaihi, Chief Executive Officer of DFI, said: “The Sarajevo Film Festival shares strong synergies with the work we do in Qatar, and together as cultural partners, we have been working towards nurturing the skills of emerging filmmakers and showcasing some of the most powerful works from the region to a wider audience in Europe.
“This year, with 19 films supported by DFI at Sarajevo, we have the largest to date participation at this important film event. We are exceptionally proud of the ‘Shortcut to Qatar’ segment at Sarajevo, which highlights the talents of our emerging filmmakers, giving their films access to an international audience. We will continue to focus on supporting bold voices in filmmaking from Qatar, our region and beyond.”
The seven short films by Qatari talents and by those who call Qatar home, showcased in the ‘Shortcut to Qatar’ segment at Sarajevo are Voices from the Urbanscape by Shaima Al-Tamimi and Mariam Salim; I Have Been Watching You All Along by Rawda Al-Thani, Walls by Nibu Vasudevan; Embodiment by Khalifa Al-Marri; Treasures of the Past by Rawan Al-Nassiri and Nada Bedair; Our Time is Running Out by Meriem Mesraoua; and 1001 Days by Aisha Al-Jaidah.
The films in the CineLink Co-Production Market include the DFI Grants recipient Streams by Mehdi Hmili and The Voice of Amirah, a feature narrative by Khalifa Al-Thani. In Work in Progress is the documentary Ibrahim by Lina Alabed.
Several acclaimed films supported by DFI are in the in-competition section including Turkish auteur and 2014 Palme D’or winner and Qumra Master Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s The Wild Pear Tree; Lebanese filmmaker Nadine Labaki’s Capharnaüm, which won the Jury Prize at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and Sofia by Meryem Benm’Barek, which won the Best Screenplay award at Cannes 2018.
Among the DFI Grants recipients are compelling documentaries Nine Month War by László Csuja, Of Fathers and Sons by Talal Derki, The Man Who Stole Banksy by Marco Proserpio, The Other Side of Everything by Mila Turajlic, Too Late to Die Young by Dominga Sotomayor, and The Load by Ognjen Glavonić.
Two films supported by DFI have their special screenings including Wallay by Berni Goldblat and What Comes Around by Reem Saleh.
