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Hosts Key Industry Events Aimed at Promoting Arab Cinema to Global Audiences

Doha, Qatar 19 May – The Doha Film Institute celebrated its first anniversary by supporting a number of key industry events at the Cannes Film Festival 2011. DFI’s events aimed to promote the Arab film industry on an international platform and foster greater awareness about the increasing emergence of creativity, storytelling and artistic expression from the region.

Events included an Industry Welcome Brunch; a MENA Industry Gathering; a Producers Network Breakfast and a Film Institute Roundup. In addition, DFI nominated five Arab producers to the Cannes Producers Network and showcased six Qatari films at the Festival’s Short Film Corner.

DFI also hosted networking lunches with representatives from two of the world’s largest film industries – Egypt and India. The Egyptian Lunch was hosted exclusively for Egyptian delegates to recognise the country’s contribution to Arab Cinema and applaud its selection as the first Arab country ‘In Focus’ at the prestigious festival. DFI also partnered with the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) of India to host a special lunch to celebrate historical ties and friendly relations between India and Qatar and explore collaboration opportunities.

A highlight event for DFI at Cannes 2011 was the after party for Nadine Labaki’s film Where Do We Go Now?, which premiered in the official selection Un Certain Regard. The film opened to great reviews from critics and audiences alike, and was a strong representation for Arab Cinema.

Key industry players from around the world attended the party to support the film, in an event infused with Arab music, food and culture. Guests in attendance included: the cast from the film; the Artistic Director of Cannes, Thierry Fremaux; Egyptian actors Mahmood Abdul Aziz, Yousra, Mona Zaki, Ahmed Helmy, khaled El Nabawy, Amr Waked and Mohamed Kareem; Indian directors Ashutosh Gowariker, Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra, Anurag Kashyap, and actress Minissha Lamba; Emirati directors Ali F Mostafa, Nayla Al Khaja, Khalid Al Mahmood, Nawaf Al Janahi and Abdullah Al Kaabi; and directors Najwa Najjar and Peter Webber, amongst others.

About Doha Film Institute:
DFI is an independent cultural organization established to incorporate Qatar’s film initiatives under one banner. Our many initiatives range from film funding for MENA and international films, production to year round educational programs, film screenings, as well as the annual Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF).