Doha Film Festival (DFF) has selected four feature films from Qatar for world premieres in the Special Screenings programme at its second edition, including underwater pursuit documentary Jodari Meno.
Jodari Meno is directed by and focuses on Qatari filmmaker Jamal Al Khanji. It follows Al Khanji’s quest to land a world-record dogtooth tuna; what begins as an extreme pursuit becomes an obsession linked to the search for meaning. The film is backed by Qatari film organisations The Film House Originals, Alkhanji Enterprise, the Doha Film Institute, Media City Qatar and Al Jazeera Documentary.
Mohamed Deniz’s drama A Very Ordinary Life follows a retired pilot and young Moroccan art teacher who are drawn towards each other through dreams, letters and a buried secret. The Qatar-Morocco co-production is produced by Abdulrahim Al-Siddiqi and Bouchra Malek.
Documentary First To Fly from Argentinian filmmaker Rodrigo Vazquez Salessi follows the first two gymnasts in Qatar’s history to compete at the Rhythmic Gymnastics world Championships.
Qatari filmmaker Hamad Al Hajri’s documentary When The News Breaks You examines the realities faced by journalists working across the Middle East. The film is a co-production between Qatar, Palestine, Greece, Lebanon and Turkey.
Jodari Meno, A Very Ordinary Life and When The News Breaks You are all backed by Media City Qatar.
The festival will also screen a special episode of eight-part documentary series Elzam, following a group of falconers – a proud tradition in Qatar - on hunting expeditions. It is produced by Jassim Al Romaihi and Ahmed Al Baker for Katara Studios.
“This is a watershed moment for Qatar’s film and creative industries,” said Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, CEO of the Doha Film Institute and DFF director. “To present four feature films and an original series from Qatar at Doha Film Festival is a powerful reflection of how far our creative ecosystem has come.
“We are building a sustainable industry by creating opportunities, developing capabilities and connecting Qatar’s talent with the world.”
DFF will run from November 19-27. It will open with Sara Ishaq’s The Station, which will play in the 15-strong international feature competition.
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