As the Doha Film Institute's annual celebration of all things film, the Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF) is a community-minded, five-day event that showcases the best of Arab and international cinema.
Since its inception, The Doha Film Institute’s (DFI) successful cultural partnership with Tribeca Enterprises has culminated in the Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF) – an annual celebration of film that embodies shared core values to create a community-minded, audience-driven platform for the expression, exposure and celebration of both Arab and international films.
The Festival aims to bring people from all walks of life, cultures and backgrounds together through the universal language of film, evolving and transforming each year, but retaining its core focus to illuminate global creativity and exchange culture, stories, and perspectives.
The third annual Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF), scheduled to run October 25 – 29, 2011 at Katara Cultural Village, will continue to build on the success of previous editions, providing a diverse array of cinematic experiences for both public and private Festival guests. The five-day celebration (October 25-29) will see more than 50 films from 35 countries screen before an expected audience intake of more than 50,000 people, showcasing a culturally diverse cross section of comedies, family-oriented films, epics, political biopics, thrillers and documentaries. With nine world premieres, four international premieres and 26 Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) premieres, the Festivals’ dynamic film slate promises to provide something for all ages and viewing tastes.
DTFF 2011 will also include an expanded Arab Film Competition, comprising 14 films, split between narratives and documentaries, an eclectic lineup of 16 Contemporary World Cinema titles; and a dynamic slate of 14 special screenings from across the world. Accompany the new programming split will be a fresh set of awards including: Best Arab Narrative Feature; Best Arab Narrative Director; Best Narrative Performance Award; Best Arab Documentary Feature; Best Arab Documentary Director; Best Arab Short Film; as well as Audience Awards for Best Narrative Film and Best Documentary.
Find out more about the DTFF 2011 film slate.
In addition to indoor and outdoor film screenings, DTFF will host a broad range of activities for Festival attendees, including: the Doha-Giffoni Experience for young aspirant film jurors; the publicly accessible, interactive ‘Doha Talks’ series; an evolved Brigitte Lacombe multimedia exhibit; the ‘Doha Projects’ mentoring program for DFI grantees; educational workshops, masterclasses and exhibits; and the Festival’s highlight Family Day program, which will provide a specially curated family-friendly film slate, as well as arts & crafts, performances workshops, games, stage performers and more.
Find out more about this year’s panels and special events.
All films screened during the Festival will be subtitled in both Arabic and English, and events will be accompanied by on-ground translators, aiming to provide full Festival access for both Arabic and English speakers.
This year, Festival screenings and events will be centralised in Katara Cultural Village, with the number of on-site screening venues having increased to nine, up from three last year, making it easier for Festival-goers to attend multiple screenings and events without having to commute to different parts of the city.
Find out more about DTFF 2011 screening venues and box-office information.
Photo credit: David Koskas & Quinta
The 2011 DTFF will open October 25 with the world premiere of Jean-Jacques Annaud’s star-studded Arabian film epic Black Gold. Co-produced with Quinta Communications, and starring Antonio Banderas, Freida Pinto, Tahar Rahim, Mark Strong, Riz Ahmed and Liya Kebede, the film is an epic adventure adaptation of Hans Reusch’s classic novel ‘The Great Thirst’ and DFI’s first major international co-production Starring. The film’s prominent battle scenes were shot in the spectacular desert dunes of Mesaieed and Shamal, in Qatar – over a four week period. Festival will round out.
Find out more about Black Gold’s production in Doha.
Photo credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images for DTFF
The Festival will round out October 29 with Luc Besson’s The Lady, an epic biopic depicting the real life story of Burmese activist Aung San Suu Kyi.
The 2010 edition of the DTFF drew an attendance of approximately 42 000 people, and this year’s Festival is expected to be even bigger and better.
Find out more about the DTFF 2010.