Doha Film Institute to Showcase Nine Exciting Short Films at VOX Cinemas Doha Festival City

Canary

The Doha Film Institute will present nine captivating short films, specially curated from around the world for public audiences at VOX Cinemas, Doha Festival City as part of the Doha Film Experience, from November 24 to 26 daily at 8 PM.

As Qatar welcomes the world in a celebration of sport, Doha Film Institute is hosting an unmissable festival of creativity. Taking place over four action-packed weeks, The Doha Film Experience is a cultural showcase presenting the very best in Arab and international filmmaking, pop culture and art.

Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, Chief Executive Office of the Doha Film Institute, said: “The public film screenings of the Doha Film experience are especially close to our hearts. These short films will delight audiences for the broad perspectives they represent, enabling viewers to gain a deeper understanding of our shared humanity. Our carefully curated shorts programme reflects the diversity of our experiences, and it will provide the community with an opportunity to discover new ideas and perspectives through these unique tales.”

The nine short films include the three winners of the 2022 Special 10th Edition of the Ajyal Film Festival. Don’t miss this limited theatrical release of regional and international short films.

The short films to be screened at VOX Cinemas, Doha Festival City are:

The winner of the 2022 Ajyal Jury Award in the Hilal category, It Feels Personal (UK/2021) by Hugh Clegg depicts how the director, realising that a video has been stolen and turned into a viral meme, embarks on an internet odyssey to expose the perpetrator.

The winner in Ajyal’s Bader category, It’s Nice in Here (The Netherlands/2022) by Robert-Jonathan Koeyers, is a fragmented portrait of a boy nicknamed Crimson, seen through the eyes of the police officer that took his life, and his best friend who witnessed it all.

The winner in the Mohaq category, Canary (Canada/2022), directed by Pierre-Hugues Dallaire and Benoit Therriault, is about young Sonny, who doesn’t like mining much. He trains his pet canary to play dead to get the day off in this well-crafted animated short about honesty, integrity, and friendship.

The Headhunter’s Daughter (Philippines, 2021), directed by Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan, is the story of a young girl who leaves her family behind to try her luck in the city as a country singer. The Sundance Film Festival-awarded short is about the erosion and ultimate replacement of indigenous cultural traditions.

Ice Merchants (Portugal, UK, France/2022) by João Gonzalez, is about a father and his son who bravely parachute jump from their house carrying with them the precious cargo of ice that they produce in this foreboding animation about climate change.

Mkawda (Algeria/2021) directed by Souad Douibi, uses the metaphor of a doctor listening to an ailing patient’s beating heart, to take viewers through the streets of Algiers for a “check-up” on its inhabitants.

Supported by the Doha Film Institute, Rest in Piece (Germany, France, Qatar/2021) directed by Antoine Antabi is about Midyan, who is forced to flee his war-torn home. Packing only a suitcase of his dearest possessions, he embarks on a perilous journey into the unknown.

Displaced (Kosovo/2021) by Samir Karahoda, is set in post-war Kosovo, where hoping to keep their beloved sport alive, two local players wander from one obscure location to another, carrying the club’s only possession— their ping-pong tables.

Celebrating the very best in local and international filmmaking, creativity and art, Doha Film Experience activities will be held across several key venues in the city, including M7’s Sky Theatre, Qatar Foundation’s Oxygen Park and the venues of the D’reesha Performing Arts Festival 2022, the Museum of Islamic Art, Heenat Salma Farm, Vox Cinema Doha Festival City and Sikkat Wadi Msheireb.

For more information and to book your tickets, visit www.dohafilminstitute.com