Golshifteh Farahani

Source: Doha Film Festival

Golshifteh Farahani (left)

The first Doha Film Festival (DFF) opened with an evening full of celebration and strong emotions, with speeches from Golshifteh Farahani, and Wissam Hamada, mother of the late Hind Rajab who is the subject of Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice Of Hind Rajab.

Iranian-French actress Farahani was presented with a DFF 2025 Creative Excellence award, as was Syrian actor and filmmaker Jamal Suliman.

Farahani recalled coming to Doha for the first time in 2009. “We all went through a lifetime since 2009, but what matters is that we are still here, no matter what is happening out there in the world,” said the actress.

After speaking recently to an unnamed “very wise woman”, Farahani realised, “I never thought why we don’t have a united Middle East.”

“It’s not the Middle East; it’s the centre. If you look at the plan – it’s the centre, it’s the heart, it’s the belly button of the world, and so many resources are coming from here,” continued Farahani.

“There are so many reasons for people in the region to be divided; but one thing that brings us back together is art, is culture, is all the beauties we share together. It’s the spices, the desert, the beauty, the ocean, it’s everything the Middle East is about.

“I’m very honoured to be here and I hope we will be gathered here again 15 years from now. With our visions, we can imagine the world full of peace and harmony and union together,” finished Farahani.

Different

The festival opened with the MENA premiere of Ben Hania’s Venice Silver Lion Jury Prize winner The Voice Of Hind Rajab, depicting real events from January 2024 as a group of Palestinian Red Crescent volunteers try to save six-year-old Rajab, who was trapped under fire from Israeli forces.

Rajab’s mother Wissam Hamada was present at the premiere, having given her blessing for the film, which features Rajab’s distressed calls to the Red Crescent workers as well as audio of Hamada herself.

“I lost my daughter, and it felt like the world lost its colour,” said Hamada in an emotional address to the festival audience. “Her voice still wakes me up every dawn.”

Hamada added that she has not watched the film and does not expect to do so soon. “I was hoping for a different end to it,” said Hamada. “I was hoping it would end with Hind being rescued.”

The film has received significant acclaim since an emotional launch at Venice in September, winning the audience award at San Sebastian among several further festival showings. “God has granted me another family that grows every day,” added Hamada.

The screening was attended by a large team from the film, including Ben Hania, producers Nadim Cheikhrouha and Odessa Rae, actors Saja Kilani, Amer Hlehel, Motaz Malhees and Clara Khoury; and representatives of the Palestine Red Crescent Society including those portrayed in the film.

At a post-screening dinner gathering nearby, Palestinian actors Kilani and Hlehel gave a live performance in the round of a poem set to music, about the sense of identity and place for people from the region.

Milestone

The inaugural DFF will screen 97 films from 62 countries including four world premieres and 49 MENA premieres. It is run by the Doha Film Institute (DFI), the non-profit organisation supporting the film industry through funding, education and events.

“This is a milestone year for Doha Film Institute - 15 years of commitment to a vision that has now become a reality,” said DFI CEO and DFF festival director Fatma Hassan Alremaihi. “They say we must abide by the rules and accept what is there; but what if we left our comfort zone and became the exception?”

Held at the Katara Cultural Village, the event combined elements seen often on the festival circuit – a glamourous red carpet, an opening number from a small orchestral group – with pleasant local touches, such as the regular provision of soft drinks from the region, and an exceedingly polite press pack on the carpet.

The festival will award over $300,000 in prizes across four main competition sections, as well as hosting special screenings, music performances and community initiatives.

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