Seven Doha films make a splash at Berlin International Film Festival

Doha Film Institute-supported films narrate compelling, powerful stories

QNA
Doha: Highlighting the global impact of films supported by the Doha Film Institute, seven DFI Grantees have been selected to screen in key sections of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) including the official competition.

Among the films selected this year, two are in the Competition section that features only 20 exclusive titles from all across the world. Three films will screen in the Panorama section of extraordinary international cinema to the festival’s largest jury. One film will be screening in Encounters, a platform for daring and innovative independent filmmakers, and one in Generation, the section that illustrates the many complexities of youth.

Regarded as one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals showcasing the best of art house cinema, this year’s representation of DFI-supported films is another testament to the Institute’s success in nurturing independent voices in cinema from the Arab world and beyond.

Fatma Hassan Al Remaihi, Chief Executive Officer of DFI, said: “We are exceptionally proud of the selection of DFI-supported films at the Berlinale this year, that celebrates independent and art house productions, and often sets new benchmarks that defines contemporary cinema.

The diversity of the selection underlines our mandate to support important voices, especially by emerging talents from the region and the world. All seven films stand out for the power of their content and innovation in the filmmakers’ cinematic techniques that will inspire audiences with their riveting narratives of humanity.

Through our various initiatives, we continue to support compelling voices and powerful stories that have the potential to shape world cinema.” Films in Competition: Who Do I Belong To (Tunisia, Canada, France, Qatar) by Meryam Joobeur, is about a Tunisian mother gifted with prophetic dreams who lives in a rural farm with her husband Brahim and three sons. Their lives are completely changed after the departure of their eldest sons to the violent embrace of war.

Shambhala (Nepal, France, Norway, Hong Kong, Turkey, Taiwan, USA, Qatar) is a feature narrative by Min Bahadur Bham. Set under the Himalayas in the highest human settlement, about three brothers one of whom departs for trade. This weaves an unbreakable bond between the two others, transcending their roles in a tale of intertwined fates.

Films in Panorama: Brief History of a Family (China, Denmark, France, Qatar), by Jianjie Lin, explores an incident on the playground that brings two high school boys together who are worlds apart. But their middle-class existence is soon shadowed by unspoken secrets, unmet expectations, and untended emotions.