DOHA: The Doha Film Institute (DFI) has announced that four short films by Qatari directors have been selected as grantees of its Qatari Film Fund (QFF) Spring 2016 cycle.
Out of 12 projects received, the final four that made the cut include The World is Blue by Amna Al Binali, Elevate by Hamida Issa, Ya Hoota by Latifa Al Darwish and Abdulaziz Yousef, and Boy Meets World by Naif Al Malki.
Launched in 2015, the film fund is dedicated to supporting short and feature filmmaking by Qatari directors. It 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. The short film projects are chosen through two annual calls for projects for funding up to QR182,500 in total.
The grant will cover development, production, post-production, mentorship, and equipment and production support from the Institute.
“The Qatari Film Fund is one of our key initiatives to foster a culture of home-grown filmmaking and talent development. It offers the platform for Qatari filmmakers to develop their short and feature film projects with the support and guidance of the film professionals at the Institute. The short films that have been selected for the grants presented compelling sketches of life in Qatar and demonstrate the creativity and talents of our emerging filmmakers,” said DFI CEO Fatma Al Remaihi.
The World is Blue is about Hend, a 19-year-old Qatari woman, who sees in blue, and hears whispers that stop only when she reads. Her mother believes that marrying off her daughter will cure this strange condition. During her engagement party, Hend struggles to decide whether to go through with the marriage, or keep her blue world and the voices in her head.
Elevate tells the story of Latifa, a young Qatari woman in her 20s who is always accompanied by Rosie, her Filipino maid. One day, they get stuck in an elevator and find that, while they are isolated from the material world, they are also liberated from social constraints.
Ya Hoota portrays the life of a curious little girl, who is determined to save the moon from a lunar apocalypse so she can find out what happens next in the story her grandmother tells her. As the catastrophe means there will be no moonlight, the girl seeks out the mythological characters that populate her grandmother’s stories to use their magical powers to reach the moon.
Boy Meets World narrates the story of nine-year-old Jassim who lives in a time that is rapidly changing. He seems full of surprises, but to Jassim, becoming a superhero is his destined future, so he works hard to achieve it.
The Peninsula
