DFI at VOX
Schedule
- Thu Sep 28, 08:00 PM, VOX Cinemas, DFC
Doha Film Institute and VOX Cinemas Qatar are proud to bring you the very latest and critically acclaimed releases from the world of independent cinema. Every month, we will be screening another unmissable original film.
Upcoming Screenings:
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Nezouh28 September 2023 – 8:00 PM |
Directed by: Soudade Kaan
Starring: Hala Zein, Kinda Alloush, Samer El Masri
14-year-old Zeina and her family are the last to have stayed in their besieged hometown of Damascus in Syria. A missile rips a giant hole in their home, exposing them to the outside world. When a rope is mysteriously lowered into the hole, Zeina gets her first taste of freedom, and an unimaginable world of possibility opens for her.
As the violence outside escalates, the family is pressured to evacuate, but Mutaz, her father is adamant that they stay, refusing to flee to the uncertain life of a refugee. Faced with a life or death dilemma, Zeina and Hala, her mother, must make the choice whether to stay or leave.
Rating: PG 13
Genre: Drama
Language: Arabic
Subtitles: English
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Dounia & The Princess of Aleppo29 September 2023 – 4:00 PM |
Directed by: Marya Zarif, André Kadi
Starring: Rachaf Ataya, Elsa Mardorissian, Manuel Tadros
Six-year-old Dounia loves to play, learn and discover new recipes. She lives with her grandparents and father in Aleppo and treasures hearing stories of her mother, who tragically passed away when Dounia was too young to remember. One night, a group of uniformed men take her father away, and an uneasy feeling begins to take hold. War has begun, but her grandparents do their best to shelter the young girl from its effects. As bombs drop around them, the family decide to flee in search of a new home with only a few possessions—and a little magic in hand.
Their perilous journey takes them across land and sea. Joined by other fleeing refugees, the motley crew find some solace in each other through shared songs and stories. Dounia’s more traumatic encounters are eased in child-like flights of imagination thanks to her magic ‘baraki’ seeds. The film deals with quite a heavy subject matter in displacement, war and loss, but the protagonists’ upbeat attitude and grit, along with enchanting musical scenes, make it an optimistic experience full of hope and wonder.
Rating: PG 13
Genre: Drama
Language: French
Subtitles: Arabic and English
Past Screenings:
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Our Brothers24 August 2023 – 8:00 PM |
Directed by: Rachid Bouchareb
Starring: Reda Kateb, Lyna Khoudri, Raphaël Personnaz, Samir Guesmi
December 5th, 1986. Thousands of students take to the streets of Paris to protest the harsh higher education reforms. Twenty-year-old Abdel Benyahia attempts to break up a bar fight but is tragically shot dead by a drunken police officer. Just hours later, Malik Oussekine is pursued and beaten to death by three police officers from the controversial motorcycle unit. As revolt threatens to erupt amidst a population horrified by Malik’s murder in the heart of their city, the families of both victims, while never meeting, struggle to understand what really happened that night.
Three-time Academy Award® nominee Rachid Bouchareb revisits the dramatic events of Paris in December 1986. While Malik Oussekine’s death made national headlines, the equally tragic death of Abdel Benyahia was relatively forgotten. Although unrelated, the shocking events are linked by a single, harrowing night and inspector Daniel Mattei. Charged with investigating both deaths, he is faced with an unwilling police force and government who conspire to cover up Abdel’s death and discredit the murdered man. ‘Our Brothers’ is a timely and sobering story about police brutality and race relations with sadly all-too-contemporary relevance.
Rating: 18+
Genre: Drama
Language: Arabic, French
Subtitles: English
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EO27 July 2023 – 8:00 PM |
Directed by: Jerzy Skolimowski
Starring: Sandra Drzymalska, Lorenzo Zurzolo, Mateusz Kościukiewicz
Legendary filmmaker Jerzy Skolimowski directs one of his most free and visually inventive films yet, placing the viewer directly in the heart and mind of a four-legged protagonist. The world is a mysterious place when seen through the eyes of an animal. ‘EO’, a grey donkey with melancholic eyes, meets good and bad people on his life’s path and experiences joy and pain. He endures the wheel of fortune as it randomly turns his luck into disaster and his despair into unexpected bliss—but not even for a moment does he lose his innocence.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Language: English, Polish
Subtitles: Arabic
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The Last Queen22 June 2023 – 8:00 PM |
Directed by: Damien Ounouri & Adila Bendimerad
Starring: Adila Bendimerad, Dali Benssalah
Algeria, 1516. Aruj Barbarossa, one of the most notorious pirates in history, frees Algiers from the tyranny of the Spanish and seizes power over the kingdom. But rumour has it he murdered the King Salim Toumi, despite their seeming alliance. After his ascension to power, Barbarossa quickly proposes marriage to the slain king’s beautiful wife—Queen Zaphira. Strong-willed and resolute, she breaks with tradition and chooses her own destiny, fighting for her autonomy, her beloved son and her nation. Between history and legend, this woman’s journey tells of a struggle, of personal and political turmoil endured for the sake of Algiers.
Led by exceptional female performances, Algeria’s first costume drama, ‘The Last Queen,’ is a fascinating historical drama—although Zaphira’s actual existence and exact role is still a hotly contested topic amongst Algerian historians to this day. Regardless, its story is Shakespearean in scale and intrigue, exploring a crucial period in time for the North African nation that has never been done before in film. Between its impressive action scenes and well-choreographed battles lies a very human story of political intrigue, betrayals and power that paints a rich portrait of a now-legendary female figure.
Rating: 18+
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Language: Arabic
Subtitles: Arabic, English
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Mediterranean Fever25 May 2023 – 8:00 PM |
Directed by: Maha Haj
Starring: Amer Hlehel, Ashraf Farah, Anat Hadid
Winner of the best screenplay award in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section last year, the darkly comedic ‘Mediterranean Fever’ explores the complicated friendship between two starkly different neighbours in Haifa. An aspiring writer, Waleed lives with his wife and children. Spending most of his day staring at a blank computer screen in search of inspiration for his book, Waleed struggles with mental illness that even his therapist seems unable to alleviate. After a chance encounter with his new neighbour, Jalal—the pair develop an unlikely bond. Seeing in Jalal the potential of source material for his novel, Waheed joins him eagerly on his daily errands into an increasingly dangerous world of petty crime.
As Waleed delves deeper into Jalal’s criminal activity, the true motives behind their growing relationship are not as they first appear. Their friend/enemy dynamic gives the film an ingenious level of charm and sly wit, portrayed perfectly with incredible performances from the two leads, Amer Hlehel and Ashraf Farah. Full of black humour and surprising twists, critically-acclaimed filmmaker Maha Haj keeps us guessing until the very end in this unpredictably captivating comedy about masculinity, mental health and loneliness.
Rating: 18+
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Language: Arabic
Subtitles: English
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Until Tomorrow29 December 2022 – 8:00 PM |
Directed by: Ali Asgari
Starring: Sadaf Asgari, Ghazal Shojaei, Babak Karimi, Amirreza Ranjbaran, Nahal Dashti
Fereshteh is a young mother facing a serious dilemma. On the surface, she is relatively happy, studying and working in a print shop in Tehran, with dreams of one day travelling abroad. But her parents are coming to visit, and she has kept a secret from them—her two-month-old daughter. Born out of wedlock and with little help from the father, Fereshteh and her trusted friend Atefeh must resort to increasingly desperate measures to keep her baby hidden and safe in a city with limited options for a mother living outside of traditionally accepted family norms.
Rating: 18+
Genre: Drama
Language: Farsi / Arabic
Subtitles: English
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The Innocents27 October 2022 – 8:00 PM |
Directed by: Eskil Vogt
Starring: Rakel Lenora Fløttum, Alva Brynsmo Ramstad, Sam Ashraf
During the bright Nordic summer, a group of children reveal mysterious powers. But what starts out innocent soon takes a dark and violent turn in this gripping supernatural thriller.
Rating: 18+
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Language: Norwegian
Subtitles: Arabic and English
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Whether the Weather is Fine28 July 2022 – 8:00 PM |
Directed by: Carlo Francisco Manatad
Starring: Daniel Padilla, Charo-Santos, Rans Rifol
Determined to flee to the big city after Typhoon Haiyan ravages a coastal town, Miguel searches for his mother Norma and his beloved Andrea before another storm approaches.
Rating: 15+
Genre: Drama
Language: Visayan
Subtitles: Arabic and English
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The Rose Maker23 June 2022 – 8:00 PM |
Directed by: by Pierre Pinaud
Starring: Catherine Frot, Manel Foulgoc, Fatsah Bouyahmed
Eve Vernet was the largest rose grower. It is now on the verge of bankruptcy, on the verge of being bought out by a powerful competitor. In addition, Véra, her faithful secretary, employed three employees without any gardening skills.
Rating: 18+
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Language: French
Subtitles: Arabic and English
Casablanca Beats24 March 2022 – 8:00 PM |
Directed by: Nabil Ayouch
Starring: Anas Basbousi, Ismail Adouab
Former rapper Anas takes a job at a cultural centre in a working-class neighbourhood in Casablanca. Encouraged by their new teacher, his students will try to free themselves from the weight of restrictive traditions in order to live their passions and express themselves through hip-hop…
Rating: 18+
Genre: Drama, Music
Language: Arabic
Subtitles: Arabic and English
C’mon C’mon24 February 2022 – 8:00 PM |
Directed by: Mike Mills
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffmann, Woody Norman
Johnny (Joaquin Phoenix) and his young nephew (Woody Norman) forge a tenuous but transformational relationship when they are unexpectedly thrown together in this delicate and deeply moving story about the connections between adults and children, the past and the future, from writer-director Mike Mills.
Rating: 15+
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Subtitles: Arabic