Inspiring Future Filmmakers with Justin Kramer
In this climactic season finale of The Ajyal Show 2024, we sit down with Justin Kramer, an American filmmaker and artist, to explore his transformative journey in Qatar’s film industry. Justin shares his journey from New York, where he began his career, to the Tribeca Film Festival and his eventual move to Doha to establish The Film House. He discusses how The Film House has become a cornerstone of Qatar’s creative community—producing films and commercials while supporting and mentoring local talent since its inception.
Justin emphasises the importance of giving back to the community, drawing on the connections and opportunities he’s gained while working in Qatar. He shares insights into the value of collaboration, describing the strong team dynamics at The Film House and how creative partnerships drive innovation and storytelling. As someone who has recently returned to personal filmmaking, Justin speaks about balancing passion projects with commercial work. He explains that while commercial projects ensure sustainability, personal creative work is vital for contributing to the growth of the industry and his own artistic fulfilment.
Resilience, Justin believes, is essential to navigating challenges in filmmaking. He urges aspiring filmmakers to stay persistent and take their first steps, no matter how daunting the journey may seem. With a hopeful outlook, he expresses his belief that storytelling can inspire compassion and help build a brighter future for communities around the world.
To learn more about Doha Film Institute's initiatives, workshops and funding that help support Qatar’s filmmaking community, visit our website here.
More About Our Guest Justin Kramer
Justin Kramer is an American filmmaker and artist. His career started in New York City, where he formed Elwood Gentry Productions and worked on projects for HBO, MTV, CNN, VH1, and AMC, among others. His producing, directing, and cinematography have been seen in numerous award-winning short films, television shows, feature documentaries, music videos, and commercials. Justin has displayed photography work at The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, and has lectured at Harvard University on documentary filmmaking.
In 2009, Justin moved to Qatar to join the Doha Film Institute, where he produced and mentored numerous workshops and programmes that helped launch the first Qatari films to gain international recognition. Since then, Justin has developed The Film House, a first-of-its-kind production agency in Qatar. The Film House produces world-class documentaries, commercials, and designs for notable clients such as VICE, DAZED, Levi's, Qatar Airways, Chevrolet, PBS, and BBC.