The upcoming Doha Film Festival has announced its 15-title competition program, the majority of which are Middle Eastern premieres of films from the region, seven of which are directed by women.
As previously announced, Yemeni-Scottish filmmaker Sara Ishaq’s timely drama “The Station,” which examines the impact of Yemen’s civil war on the country, is set to open the second edition of the revamped event, which will be held in the Qatari capital from November 19-27.
Similar to last year’s opening event, the Palestinian situation is highlighted in the selection of four competing Palestinian films. These include: Hosam Abu Dan’s first feature film, “Thirteen in Gaza,” which was shot entirely in the Gaza Strip and won an award in Toronto; Rabab Khamis’ documentary “Sama”, about a 10-year-old girl from Gaza who collects plastic and cardboard to sell as fuel, had its world premiere in Doha; and the absurdist drama “Conversations with the Sea,” directed by Muayad Alayan and premiering in Venice.
Other standout titles in the Doha competition include Moroccan filmmaker and photographer Tala Hadid’s “Bardi” (film above), in which, as the synopsis puts it, “Farmers and workers in Central Morocco transform into warriors and princes through Tbourida, a centuries-old equestrian tradition.” The world premiere of the film was held recently at the New York Film Festival.
Sub-Saharan Africa is represented by two films: Cameroonian Auguste Bernard Kouemo Yanghu’s “House of the Wind”, which won both The Lion of the Future for its debut film and the Orizzonti Special Jury Prize in Venice; and the gritty, rap-infused “My Semba,” a portrait of Angola’s underground scene that tells the story of three orphaned siblings in Luanda and blends documentary and fiction filmmaking.
Directed by Sompot Chidgasornpongse, “9 Temples to Heaven” is among the three entries from Asia, about a family who visit nine temples in one day in the hope of keeping their grandmother alive. The film is Thailand’s international Oscar entry.
11 of the 15 films to be screened in Doha are supported by the Doha Film Institute.
“Cinema has the power to take voices beyond borders and create connections where distance and difference can divide us,” Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, CEO of Doha Film Institute, said in a statement. “Doha Film Festival was created to give a home to these voices, especially filmmakers who challenge convention, bring unheard stories to the big screen and demonstrate the possibilities of independent cinema,” he added.
The revamped Doha Film Festival has transformed DFI’s existing Ajyal Film Festival, dedicated to youth and family-friendly cinema, into a more ambitious international event aimed at a wider audience.
The top prizes to be awarded will be: best narrative worth $75,000; Documentary worth $50,000; artistic achievement valued at $45,000; and a $15,000 gender-neutral performance acting award.
Doha Film Festival’s main partners include Katara, Media City Qatar – Film Committee and Visit Qatar.
You can see the full Doha Film Festival competition program below.
“Thirteen in Gaza,” Hosam Abu Dan
“Same,” Rabab Khamis
Muayad Alayan, “Conversation with the Sea”
Mohanad Yaqubi “Revolutionaries Never Die”
“Concrete Country” Asmahan Bkerat
“Bards,” Tala Hadid
“Station,” Sara Ishaq
“The House of the Wind,” Auguste Bernard Kouemo Yanghu
“My Semba” Hugo Salvaterra
“9 Temples to Heaven,” Sompot Chidgasornpongse
“An Unknown Girl”, Zou Jing
“Filipinana,” Rafael Manuel
“Collapse” by Manuela Martelli
Alessandra Sanguinetti “The Illusion of an Endless Summer”
“Tin Castle,” Alexander Murphy