The opening night party of the Doha Tribeca Film Festival was a feast fit for an Arabian prince.

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Doha’s opening night world premiere screening of Jean Jacques Annaud’s Black Gold took place at the newly built open air Katara theatre in the heart of the city’s cultural centre, which turned out to be a stunning setting for the Arabian adventure epic.

(The screening was preceded by a stand up comic and a falconry display and let’s just say that of the two, the falcons had better comic timing).

The film’s late start meant that we didn’t hit the after party until 11pmish. Still, the canapés were well worth the wait. We’re talking oysters, foie gras, smoked salmon, cheese platters, macarons, lavender crème brulees..and – as the party was hosted at the swanky InterContinental – lots of champagne (hotels are the only place where alcohol is on the menu in Qatar).

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Partygoers included French-Algerian actor Tahar Rahim who had a steady stream of adoring women lining up to say hello, thanks to his star turn as an Arabic Prince in Black Gold. I thought about joining the queue at one point, but that was before I spotted the lobster risotto stand…

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