(MENAFN- Gulf Times) In anticipation of the screening of one of the most popular events at the Ajyal Youth Film Festival, Made in Qatar, a series of roundtable discussions was held yesterday between members of the local and international press and filmmakers, whose work has been selected for screening this year.
The annual slate of independently made short films, some of which have been supported by Doha Film Institute (DFI), has been a core festival event celebrating filmmaking in Qatar.
Rawda al-Thani, director of I Have Been Watching You All Along' (Qatar/2017), made her short during a workshop at DFI, which she says not only introduced her to different styles of filmmaking and allowed her to meet with others who shared her passion for film, but also changed the way she saw her future.
Her film has already been screened at the Arab Film Festival in San Francisco, US, but Rawda says having the chance to show it 'at home is exciting. 'Qatari audiences are more responsive to locally made films, they know the locations and they understand the characters and they identify with them, she said, adding that the growth of the local film community has been inspiring and welcoming.
Currently on his third project and used to the challenge of making films without a budget, Khalifa al-Marri, director of Embodiment (Qatar/2017) spoke on how the local filmmaking community has grown since his first project was made in 2014.
'I used to know only one or two other people. Now, every event I attend, I see lots of familiar faces, but also many new ones.
Other filmmakers also remarked on the way Qatar's film community has developed.
'In the last 10 years, it has grown so much and not just in terms of more active participants but also in terms of growing appreciation for film, which you see in the increasing number of jurors and growing audiences for screenings, explained Meriem Masraoua, director of Our Time Is Running Out (Qatar/2017).
Not everyone at the roundtable was just starting out. Aisha al-Jaidah, director of animated short 1001 Days (Qatar/2017), was the first Qatari student to be sent to study animation abroad and has been the head of her own animation studio for several years.
'I am very grateful to the DFI for all their help, she said, explaining that her short is the first non-commercial project she has directed since leaving university.
Made in Qatar is presented by Occidental Petroleum Qatar.
Made in Qatar Programme 1 screened last night.
The second programme screens today at 8.30pm and will be followed by an awards ceremony, where the three-member jury — Lebanon's Ely Dagher, Kuwait's Dana Mado and Qatar's Salah al-Mulla — will announce the winners of this year's prizes.
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