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We're one day into the Doha Tribeca Film Festival, and after all the excitement of Opening Night, there's still tons to look forward to.
Today is Family Day — events including dance and stunt performances and screenings of Assila and Turtle: An Incredible Journey will begin at 1pm at the Museum of Islamic Art.
We're also tremendously enthusiastic about our One Minute Films Special Event with Martin Scorsese and Mohamed Khan, set for this afternoon at the MIA.
For news on these events, plus other screenings and panels throughout the city, keep checking back throughout the day!
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Midnight: Omar Offendum Performs at Spice Market
Last night, Omar Offendum, Syrian-American MC/Architect performed poetry and rap at the W Hotel's Spice Market for special guests and filmmakers. Here is a low-quality video to give you a taste of his incredible performance.
9 pm: Highlights from the MIA grounds on Family Day!
The now infamous Titan Robot Show is a mix of heart stopping, adrenaline pumping action and lung busting laughs. The 8ft. Titan was on the grounds to entertain and delight the children as well as the child in all of us.
Doha Tribeca is proud to present the Manu Laude Company. Manu Laude has assembled some of the most dynamic entertainers from around the world. His international troupe of dancers, performers and stunt artist thrilled and amazed our crowds on the museum's grounds.
6:45pm: Amanda Palmer Interviews Martin Scorsese
6:30pm: Amin Matalqa on Scorsese
We bumped into Amin Matalqa, director of Captain Abu Raed, outside the Mira Nair Masterclass. He told us his thoughts on DohaTFF and the highlight of his life - meeting Martin Scorsese at the festival.
6.15pm: Cinemania @ City Center
There are queues of enthusiastic film buffs at the City Center Cinemas. For anyone who knows Doha, the atmosphere inside as well as outside this giant mall is completely different. Filmmakers, audience members from Qatar and all over the world, journalists, volunteers and guests are circulating and it feels like some kind of international holiday.
5:30pm: "Qatar on Film" is a Hit!
Two short films,
Scent of Shadows (about the history of cinema in Qatar) and
Jasim (about Qatar's founding father), just played to a capacity crowd in the MIA's gallery space. During the Q&A,
Jasim director Peter Webber described the joys and trials of shooting in the desert, and the challenges of telling a story as visually as possible in the absence of an established Qatari acting scene. In telling the story of Jasim Al Thani's youth, Webber said, "I wanted to do something that would capture a certain time, a certain place, and a certain set of values."
Director Hafiz Ali Ali of
Scent of Shadows fielded questions about the absence of women in Qatari cinema prior to the rise of mall culture, and discussed his interest in conveying the influence of architecture on local culture.
One spectator, a Jordanian woman praised both films as beautiful, distinct portrayals of a country she sees as equally broad-minded and interested in preserving its heritage. "I like Qatar very much, I love it, and that's why I connected immediately with these movies," she said.
4.30pm: Family Day Festivities
It's an uncharacteristically hazy day in Doha, but that hasn't stopped families from congregating on the MIA grounds. They're lounging on sofas in our covered tents and enjoying performances including one by a Bollywood dance troupe.
3.30pm: Mira Nair Masterclass Just Wrapped
Director Mira Nair just wrapped up her masterclass for
The Fabulous Picture Show at the MIA, where she praised
Amelia star Hilary Swank for possessing a quality that simply can't be directed: adrenalin. Nair also discussed her interest in melding tragedy and comedy, as well as the value of maintaining a close-knit group of collaborators. Our audience here in Doha seemed to love Nair's energy and warmth, so please do keep following FPS next season to see the full show!
12:30pm: Martin Scorsese Interview
DTFF's Executive Director Amanda Palmer just sat down with screen legend and World Cinema Foundation chairman Martin Scorsese. Later this afternoon, we'll post an interview clip, so keep checking back!