The Essence of Qatar, a short film produced for the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA),  has won the  Gold Medal at the New York Festivals event which recognises the world’s best work in TV and film.
The three-minute brand film was created by Doha and London-based film producers, The Edge Picture Company, who were also awarded the title of Production Company of the year for an unprecedented tenth consecutive year at a ceremony in Las Vegas.
The Essence of Qatar was first unveiled at the World Travel Market last November, as part of Qatar’s first destination brand, marking the beginning of a new phase in the country’s journey towards achieving its vision for becoming a world class hub with deep cultural roots. 
It is designed to communicate the unique qualities of Qatar’s authentic identity to a global audience. Its immediate success provides welcome affirmation of the country’s burgeoning strength in the creative industries.
 QTA’s Chief Marketing & Promotion Officer, Rashed al-Qurese, commented: “This New York Festivals gold medal burnishes our introduction of Qatar as a tourism destination to global audiences. The unveiling of the Qatar destination brand was a major milestone in our ongoing undertaking to establish Qatar amongst the world’s top premium destinations. We are very proud that our national identity has inspired a gold medal-winning film. I would like to take this opportunity to thank The Edge for their wonderful work in truly conveying the essence of Qatar to the world.”
Commenting on The Essence of Qatar Gold Medal win, a New York Festivals representative said: “The stand-out images and imagery in The Essence of Qatar earned more than one perfect score from our grand jury of international award-winning content creators. When New York Festivals inaugurated the Event Venue category, it was with the purpose of recognising this specialised genre of programming.”