DOHA FOUR Arab films competing at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF 2012) were presented to the media at a press conference on Monday.
The competition features seven narratives, seven documentaries, and 13 short films.
The documentary Embers, is a touching tribute of its director Tamara Stepanyan to her grandmother, also named Tamara, whom she considers her inspiration. It also serves as the director’s journey to rediscover her home country Armenia.
“I am missing my grandmother and I am missing Armenia. Through this documentary I was rediscovering my own country. It started about my grandmother and ended as a dialogue of two generations,” Tamara said.
According to her, working on the film made her more involved with the life and journey of her grandmother.
Michele Tyan, co-producer of the film, stressed the challenge of editing such a personal documentary. She said the challenge lay in being sensitive to the feelings of the director and making sure it was captured by the movie’s tempo.
Another documentary, The Lebanese Rocket Society, takes viewers on a historic journey to Lebanon during the 60s when it launched Middle East’s first rocket.
“We found a postal stamp in a library and conducted research based on that. The 12-year research took us to the era when Lebanon launched the region’s first rocket,” according to director Khalil Joreige.
Joanna Hadjithomas, codirector of the film, said the movie is not just a product of research but a pride of Lebanon and a meaningful contribution to history.
Meanwhile, the narrative, Asham: A Man Called Hope, offers viewers an unconventional romantic theme. It tells the stories of six couples during the January 25 Revolution in Cairo.
Director Maggie M Morgan shared the difficulty in choosing the lead actors for the project. She said the film required actors who were open-spirited to complement the theme. The director stressed that the movie should not be classified as political. “The movie is not at all political, as it is human. In the film’ no one is condemning Mubarak”, she said.
The last film presented during the press conference was Professor, directed by Mahmoud Ben Mahmoud.
The story revolves around the life of a professor and his extra-marital affair with a student jailed for her political views. Through the characters, Mahmoud examines the state of human rights in Tunisia during the 70s.
“The movie was funded by Tunisia’s Ministry of Culture during the former regime. We started working on it six months before the revolution.
The delay in the release of the film has nothing to do with the political transition in Tunisia but has to do with economic and administrative reasons,” the director said.
He said there were no modifications to the movie. He also mentioned the generous support of the Doha Film Institute in seeing the project through.
The Arab Film Competition Award ceremony will be held at the Al Rayyan Theatre on Thursday.
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK DOHA DOHA Film Institute (DFI) Head of Film Financing Paul Miller and Media Finance Advisor Hal Sadoff chaired a panel discussion on Investment Strategies in the Global Film Industry on Sunday, hosted by Miramax, to discuss how films are financed and the changing nature of studio verses independent film production.
The session at the St Regis Doha was held to engage Qatar’s business leaders, to inform and inspire them regarding new ways of becoming involved in the growth of Qatar’s national film industry.
In opening remarks, Chairman and Managing Director of al khaliji HE Sheikh Hamad bin Faisal bin Thani al Thani, one of Qatar’s most influential business figures, said: “There is a deep interest in cinema and the development of the film industry in Qatar. DFI is fulfilling the vision of developing a local film culture.” Going on to discuss how Qatar is looking to diversify the economy in the region, Sheikh Hamad also stated that a unique opportunity for media stakeholders exists in the region due to the acceleration in growth of the global film market. “I’m positive the panel will inspire businesses to invest in local, regional and global films but its not just about business. Film can also inspire and drive social change and address important issues and subjects that can influence culture.” DFI CEO Abdulaziz al Khater said: “DFI is focused on working with partners from across the spectrum of creative industries to help build a sustainable film industry in Qatar. This is about revitalising the cultural story of the Middle East and the Arab world. Cinema is a powerful platform for telling stories, and through our financing initiatives we are extending our support to the regional talent.” Speaking at the event, Miller said: “This is about understanding and realising the film industry as potentially lucrative and a business to invest in. DFI cannot fulfil its mission alone without the support of financiers, banks and lawyers. Together we can help to shape the Doha film industry.” Sadoff gave an overview of the Hollywood studio sector and the independent film sector and said it was a very exciting time for the independent film business.
“Actors and directors are not working as much as Hollywood is focussing on big tentpole movies with fewer releases each year. So more actors and directors are available to the independent film sector and want to work.
This means we can make more commercial movies at a lower cost with a higher value of talent.” Key findings from the session included: n The global movies and entertainment market had total revenues of $90.1 billion in 2011.
n Box office sales were the most lucrative for the global movies & entertainment market in 2011, with total revenues of $33.6 billion, equivalent to 37.3 percent of the market’s overall value.
n The performance of the market is forecast to accelerate, with an anticipated compound annual growth rate of 0.6 percent for the five-year period 2011 - 2016, which is expected to drive the market to a value of $93 billion by the end of 2016.
n A five percent growth rate is anticipated in the Middle East region.
n There is significant growth in the film sector in such emerging markets as China, India, South America and the Middle East.
n New technology is creating new forms of film distribution outside of traditional cinema exhibition.
n The development of cable and satellite services and the VOD market makes it easier for consumers to access content in new and engaging ways.
Three Japanese films to be screened today
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