VOL. IV NO. 25, November 21-December 04, 2008

Doha Joins Hollywood's A-List

Organizers in Doha announced the creation of a sister event to the Tribeca Film Festival in an attempt to breathe life into Qatar's fledgling cinema and entertainment sectors, reports The National. The Tribeca Film Festival Doha, formed in partnership with the Qatar Museums Authority, aims to bring New York's cultural finesse to a Gulf city that has courted global financiers but cannot yet compete with the emerging leisure hubs of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

"The expats and Qataris here are saying that Qatar is finally on the map, which we may get a bit of international recognition beyond the financial world. Perhaps the gates are now open and people will come to Qatar for entertainment," said Rachel Morris, the managing editor of the Qatari newspaper The Peninsula.

The Doha festival follows the Dubai International Film Festival, which runs for the fifth time next month and comes amid growing interest in the Gulf from US filmmakers. Jon Patricof, Tribeca's chief operating officer, spoke of a "long-term initiative to grow and build a local film community" in the country. The initiative would help "younger filmmakers and artists who are really looking to get into the business and launch their careers."

"It has a big presence and brings lots of stars and independent film-makers to town," said Joseph Speight, a New York-based director. "It's more accessible than big festivals like Cannes," he argued.

Dubai's film festival has repeatedly used the phrase "building bridges" in its festival manifesto and, according to Speight, the United States would benefit from further connections to the Arab and Muslim worlds. "It is imperative for the world and Americans to increase their travel and cultural exchange," he said. "Film transports us into other people's minds and psychologies so intimately that it creates a tremendous empathy for other peoples of the world. It is very difficult to hate a person when you have looked into their eyes."

The exchange is occurring in both directions as Arab film festivals are also getting their fair share of Hollywood action, according to Business 24/7. Among the cinema events were Morocco's Film Festival of Marrakech (FIFM) and the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF). The Egyptian festival celebrated its 32nd anniversary, while FIFM is in its eighth year.

Both FIFM and CIFF were two of the largest celebrity-attended Arab film events of 2008, remarks the news site. The growth of the region and word-of-mouth have increased interest in Arab movie events and regional cinematography.

Sheeraz Hasan, owner of the online portals Hollywood.tv and Dubai.tv remarks, "Certain stars were offered a lot of money to visit, they go back telling everyone that the region is nothing like what it is portrayed, and that, for example, Dubai is even nicer than Los Angeles."

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