By Raynald C Rivera
Only six years since its founding, Doha Film Institute (DFI) is now a major player in the creative industry supporting film-makers in the Arab world as well as shining the spotlight on Qatari film-makers to take the helm as main actors in the emerging local industry.
At a recent media roundtable, DFI CEO Fatma Al Remaihi underlined DFI’s commitment to its objectives towards economic diversification, creating a vibrant film industry in Qatar and the region, unlocking the true potential of Arab cinema and nurturing and supporting local and Arab talent.
“We have created an ecosystem which support these objectives, from training to film funding to film industry events to film production, marketing, distribution and presentation supporting projects from inception to finalisation to showing later to the audience,” she explained.
DFI acts as a catalyst in the growth of sustainable creative industry in the region and its initiatives are geared toward positioning Qatar as a regional hub in the industry, she added.
While it continues its stride to cement its presence globally, at the heart of DFI’s initiatives is a strong focus on Qatari filmmakers.
“We are working very hard to place high priority to develop the skills of aspiring filmmakers in Qatar. Today, impressive number of Qatari filmmakers and people who call Qatar home have been regionally and internationally celebrated,” she said.
Since DFI was established in 2010, more than 80 filmmakers from Qatar have been associated with the Institute.
“In 2010 we only had five Qataris in our educational programme while in 2016 we have 37, which shows DFI’s commitment in working with these filmmakers every year to develop their skills and open doors for them.”
The second edition of Qumra which kicks off this weekend have seen the participation of 15 films by Doha based filmmakers, 10 of which are by Qatari filmmakers.
Since the introduction of the Made in Qatar in 2011, DFI has screened 65 shorts and three features, 40 of which were made by Qatari film-makers.
“The commitment to nurturing Qatari talent was further enhanced with the creation of Qatari Film Fund (QFF) last year where we are developing four features and eight shorts a year.”
The fund is committed to the development of up to four feature films, and the development, production and post-production of up to eight short films annually. Feature films developed through the fund are eligible for financial support for production, and one film will be selected for production funding in the following year.
To date, the Institute has supported nine short films and four Qatari feature films which are all in development. Nora Al Subai’s short film Al Jawhara will be the first of the 13 films to go into the postproduction stage, which just finished shooting in December.
Nora started at the first Ajyal Youth Film Festival in 2014 when she presented her film Hero which won the Made in Qatar section.
“Ever since she has been working closely with DFI in workshop and development and got the QFF for her film Al Jawhara, which was in Qumra last year and now in post-production phase. She has gone through all the stages to be where she is now. This is a great example how DFI works from the film’s inception to finalisation.”
Al Remaihi noted DFI also provides support for Qatari film-makers in international events and festivals such as the Cannes producers networking and workshop as well as the industry conference in Toronto. In addition, DFI programs Qatari films in major festivals like in this year’s Berlinale, in Cannes Short Film Corner, in Sarajevo and in Giffoni, among others.
“We also take them to the ecosystem by providing key educational programmes like screen writing lab, short narrative lab, short documentary lab, animation lab and recently we joined hands with the Torino film lab — a very established film lab in the world to help us in producing better scripts that will look visually amazing on screen.”
For its community initiative, DFI has collaborated with the Qatar Tourism Authority to curate a crowd sourced film that captures Qatar at a time of rapid change and development. A film for Qatar through the eyes of its people on change, diversity and hope, Dari Qatar will bring communities of Qatar together for a cinematic tribute to the Nation.
The local creative industry has progressed over the years. Since DFI’s inception, Qatar has witnessed increase in the number of local production houses from 15 in 2010 to 45 to date.
“This is a testament to Qatar becoming an important centre for film development and activities.”
“The continuing increase in film activity will mean more employment opportunity across all vertical sectors and will mean creating more wealth and support the wider societal viability. From the organic economic growth to the development of local force and community programmes, DFI will ultimately contribute to a knowledge based economy in Qatar and the region which will enhance lives, inspire confidence and create opportunities for everyone.”
There has been a strong emphasis on economic diversification in Qatar, the region and all over the world.
“It has been our mandate from the very beginning to create a sustainable industry and our programmes are aligned towards economic diversification.”
The Peninsula
