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Joseph Varghese/Staff Reporter
Doha Film Institute (DFI) is working on the development stages of four feature films with the Qatari Film Fund and at least one of them may go into production stage by next year.
“We are also working with other filmmakers on their projects,” DFI CEO Fatma al-Remaihi told Gulf Times on the sidelines of the inaugural ‘Focus on Qatar’ showcase at the Museum of Islamic Art.
The three-day event includes screenings and industry panels to put the spotlight on home-grown talent and celebrate the filmmakers who have made an impact on Qatar’s film culture over the past five years.
Al-Remaihi said that the event features ‘Clockwise,' the first Qatari feature film and several short films made by local filmmakers. “The film industry in Qatar started in 2009-2010. But there is a longer history of filmmaking in Qatar. We happened to discover recently that in 1960s and 1970s the Ministry of Culture had a film unit. But it died when televisions became popular and the videos of movies were made available easily.”
The CEO maintained that there is more awareness on films and film making in Qatar than what it was five years ago. But she felt that it will take some more time for Qataris to accept cinema as a career.
“Most of the people engaged in filmmaking are students or employees.Though cinema is a passion for many of them, it is still not their livelihood as they have to depend on their jobs or family for their daily needs. Filmmaking, especially feature films, takes longer time and great commitment. It will take sometime for the people of Qatar or the region to take cinema as a career as they need to have an additional source of income other than cinema.”
The CEO disclosed that the Ajyal Film Festival will take place from November 29. “This year, we will have one more day of festival, seven instead of six. There will be more categories of competitions for feature films and short films. This year, there will be a special event which will be very exciting and will be the highlight of the festival,” she added. The official also noted that the Qumra festival will be held in March next year.
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