The cooperation between Sarajevo Film Festival and Doha Film Institute continues

Doha Film Institute (DFI) is an independent, not-for-profit cultural organisation established in 2010. It organically supports the growth of the local film community by enhancing industry knowledge, cultivating film appreciation and contributing to the development of sustainable creative industries in Qatar.

 

DFI’s platforms include funding and production of local, regional and international films, educational programmes, film screenings, Ajyal Film Festival and Qumra - an initiative that seeks to provide mentorship, nurturing, and hands-on development for filmmakers from Qatar and around the world.

 

Three grant recipients and past Qumra projects to benefit from additional guidance and support from the Festival’s CineLink Industry Days programme: "Nezouh" by Soudade Kadaan, "The Pearl" by Noor Al-Nasr and "The Maiden's Pond" by Bassem Breche.

 

With culture, community, education and entertainment at its foundation, DFI serves as an all-encompassing film hub in Doha, as well as a resource for the region and the rest of the world. DFI is committed to supporting Qatar’s 2030 vision for the development of a knowledge-based economy.

 

The selected films will be shown as a part of Partner Presents programme of the 26th Sarajevo Film Festival via ondemand.sff.ba.

 

 

Qatar, 2018, 7 min.

Director: Dhabya Al-Muhanna

Deep in the shipyards of Doha, amid the whirring of table saws and heavy machinery, we enter the world of dhow construction. Primarily still crafted by hand, with the metalwork relentlessly hammered and worked straight from the furnace, this silent meditative film gives us a glimpse into the precision engineering and expert craftsmanship that is involved in the creation of Qatar's most iconic seagoing vessel.

Qatar, 2018, 17 min.

Director: A.J. Al Thani

Many women around the world suffer oppression and dream of escaping it. THE BLACK VEIL is the story of one woman who puts her life at risk in order to find her freedom.

Qatar, Indonesia, 2019, 6 min.

Director: Abdulaziz Khashabi

A story about a hamster who was once in a pet shop, waiting eagerly for someone to buy him. Many people passed by his small tank without noticing him, before someone decides to buy him. The hamster is very excited that he has finally been bought – but he won’t be happy for long!

Qatar, 2019, 15 min.

Director: Ahmad Al-Sharif

Munir is an honest taxi driver, known by the local community as being principled and trustworthy, always willing to lend a hand to friends in need. A loving father and husband, after a long day of work Munir is eager to make it home in time to celebrate his daughter’s birthday. But after a mysterious man appears on the side of a dark road, Munir is torn between being a good Samaritan or a good father – a choice that will change his life forever.

Qatar, 2019, 11 min.

Director: Kholoud Al Ali

A ceramic girl lives in a small drab village that sits in a valley surrounded by huge mountains. One day, she wrangles the courage to scale the mountain but falls, shattering herself into a thousand pieces. From the ashes she arises – transformed into a fairy. She flies over the mountain to discover that a magically colourful world awaits.

Qatar, 2019, 7 min.

Director: Nada Bedair

In a strict Catholic school, Noor daydreams of making a kite. Not amused by Noor's lack of concentration in class, Sister Caroline punishes her with detention. There, Noor meets Zayn, a new student who sees Noor’s sketches of kites and encourages her to make one with her. The two embark on a kite-making mission, but they soon find themselves in trouble with the nuns after they break into the art room for supplies.

 

Qatar, 2019, 10 min.

Director: Ching Siew Hua

A sombre look at the island of Socotra, situated 400km off the coast of Yemen. Suffering the indirect consequences of the ongoing conflict, the island faces a devastating environmental crisis. Its native population is struggling with a lack of opportunities and uncertainty.

 

Lebanon, Qatar, 2019, 4 min.

Director: Alessandra El Chantilbrahim

Ibrahim Sultani is a 22-year-old architecture major who has a hobby of painting portraits on banknotes. On them, he portrays Lebanese icons from the fields of music, cinema, sports, media, fashion and many more. Due to the current economic crisis in the country, Sultani hopes his work will give the currency back some of its lost value, at least metaphorically.