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• Two programme of shorts films to be screened for audiences in Wakra at Qatar’s first and only cultural house
• Captivating programme of documentaries, short form narratives and animations, highlight emerging Qatari talents and those who call Qatar home
• Line-up includes festival favourites and award-winning titles from Qatari directors and those who call Qatar home

Doha, Qatar; August 22, 2022: Doha Film Institute has partnered with Embrace Doha, an independent culture house, to host public screenings at Souq Al Wakra that will further strengthen the collaboration between the local community and Qatar’s homegrown talents.

Aimed at nurturing community engagement and making Doha Film Institute’s film screenings even more accessible for the public, the new partnership will flag off with the first-ever public screening of local films in Wakra on August 25 with a ‘Made in Qatar’ showcase of six short films, several of them award-winning works of art that highlight the rich creative talent in the country. The second screening is scheduled for 15th September 2022.

Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, Chief Executive Officer, Doha Film Institute, said: “As we prepare for the tenth edition of our flagship Ajyal Film Festival in a year of unprecedented excitement in the nation, we are further enhancing our local partnerships and creating vibrant platforms for the wider community in Qatar to discover stories originating from our country. Such events help amplify voices from Qatar’s growing national film industry and unlock opportunities for emerging home-grown creators to drive the creation of compelling content from our region and foster understanding through artistic dialogue.

“Our partnership with Embrace Doha will create another inspiring venue for the public to applaud and appreciate the enthusiasm, creativity and passion of our nation’s exciting voices in film, with locally conceived ideas that are being celebrated outside Qatar.”

Shaima Sherif, Managing Director, Embrace Doha said: “We would like to welcome everyone into our cultural house and experience local filmmaking in a traditional Qatari majlis. We hope that we can use Doha Film Institute’s platform and talents to amplify Qatar’s rich cultural heritage to the masses.”

On August 25 at 7PM, Embrace Doha will screen a bouquet of six compelling short films – including short narratives, animation and documentaries – directed by Qatari and Qatar-based filmmakers. A second screening will be held on Sept. 15, providing the opportunity for more members of the public to watch the inspirational and poignant films.

Captivating programme of documentaries, short form narratives and animations include:

Smicha (2017), by Amal Al-Muftah, is about seven-year-old Lulwa, who dotes on her elderly grandfather, and depicts that love is not found in blurry details, but in a powerful bond that never fades; Al Johara (2016) by Nora Al-Subai, is a colourful story about a girl who is made a servant in her own home by her evil stepfamily. With the help of a neighbor, an eccentric, traditional old woman, she might be able to attend her very first wedding.

Jassim Al Rumaihi’s award-winning documentary, The Palm Tree (2015) is a short poetic take on the majestic tree that is considered as a significant symbol of culture and heritage across the Arab world; Fishermen (2017), directed by Obada Yousef Jarbi, is about three fishermen who run away from the crowded city towers and lights. In the middle of the sea, they are far away from everything that reflects the modernity of Doha; a reflection of the Doha’s cosmopolitan personality, Voices from the Urbanscape (2017), by Shaima Al Tamimi and Mariam Salim, expresses the city’s pace of growth, while various voices from the community describe the progress and Makhbz (2015), by Aisha Al Muhannadi, the repetitive actions of men and machines become a dance of grace and beauty, and the making of bread in Madinat Khalifa becomes a mesmerizing vision.

Animated titles include Where Are You Right Meow? (2018) by Maysam Al-Ani is about a young artist, Ayako, who struggles with creative block. Suddenly, her beloved cat Beru goes missing, and she goes to look for him around her neighbourhood and Director Kholood Al Ali’s Red (2017) about a shy and lonely boy, who trudges through the snowy streets of a desolate urban landscape, where he sees an abandoned pair of red trainers hanging from a telephone wire.