When the London-based foundation’s co-founder said, during her speech, that there was an “edu-cide” happening in Gaza, suddenly everything that has been going on in the past six months in Palestine came into clear focus and explained for this writer Israel’s inexplicable actions.
Read MoreThe Qumra Diaries: Lessons from the Masters
From violence in cinema, to not watching films at all once you’ve made one, there were shocking and cool revelations at this year’s DFI industry meet, featuring filmmakers Jim Sheridan, Leos Carax and more.
Read MoreThe Qumra Diaries: I've landed in a place of inspiration
It is always great to be in Doha for their annual industry meetings, yet this time it feels extra crucial and important — as cinema is what I turn to in order to heal and help understand the world around me.
Read MoreA Berlinale Wrap Up: Dying, Doubt and a well deserved Diop win
There were a lot of themes at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival and some resonated deeply with me, as the world tries to wade through the perils of certainty — those who think they always know better.
Read More"It starts with cinema": Amos Gitai on his upcoming play in Paris and La Biennale Architettura project
Amos Gitai has never been far from our thoughts, or out of cinematic radars, with a film premiering almost every year at major film festivals like Venice and Cannes -- now he's bringing his tryptic of films about a house in Jerusalem to the stage in Paris and to La Biennale Architettura 2023.
Read MoreHala Matar's 'Electra' world premieres, at this year's Santa Barbara IFF
And is worth a watch.
Read MoreJim Sheridan, Leos Carax, Claire Denis and more at Qumra for this year's DFI industry meet up
Plus Atom Egoyan fresh from the Berlinale and Academy Award nominated sound designer Martín Hernández, all to give Masterclasses while in Qatar.
Read MorePeace-building, great discoveries, tigers and temple cats among highlights of 2024 Berlinale
With the Competition titles still to be announced, the Berlin Film Festival is already showing some great bridge building colors, as well as panache, good taste and humor. And a film that starts out being about cats, but turns into so much more...
Read MoreA historic first prize for Moroccan cinema, at this year's Marrakech Film Festival
After all was said and done, there were no losers at this year’s Marrakech International Film Festival, where audiences got a free taste of great cinema and Moroccan films made history.
Read MoreThe Doha Film Institute's Qumra 2021 goes global with its virtual edition
For film insiders the Qumra event — held once a year in Doha, Qatar and bringing together industry experts and filmmakers from all over the world — was always a highly anticipated time to put on our calendars. But in the age of pandemic, where we need all the inspiration we can get to simply continue onward, Qumra has become a lifeline.
Read MoreDoha's Ajyal Film Festival Opening Night: We may be socially distanced but our cinematic hearts beat as one!
This year, the Doha Film Institute has managed to put together a hybrid online and in person (for Qatari residents only) version of its annual Ajyal Film Festival dedicated to young audience and there was even a red carpet last night and an opening ceremony. I’m sharing the video of the latter below.
Read More'Breaking Bread' and the story of one super, courageous NYC film festival
In history, it has often proven dangerous to attempt to be a peacemaker. In fact, men from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to John F. Kennedy and even Malcolm X — once he realized his own philosophy of hate was going nowhere and advocated peace between the races — have fallen victims to assassinations because of their ideals.
When we look to the Middle East, the list grows to include Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. In April of 2011, Palestinian-Israeli actor and director Juliano Mer-Khamis was murdered by masked gunmen outside his theater in Jenin, where he worked to promote a meeting of minds.
Read MoreThe Venice Diaries: The mixtape of Venezia 75 is an homage to creativity's soundtrack
This year's Venice Film Festival seemed to carry a special soundtrack, like a mixtape of our collective thoughts and hopes and wishes. For a future where we are finally able to learn from our past and stop thinking that our opinions count individually. For a world where we will discover, finally, a middle ground in shades of grey, instead of living everything in either black or white.
Here is my Venezia 75 Mixtape.
Read MoreThe Cannes Diaries 2018: Everyone has their own story
This year the festival holds a lot of promise. Arab cinema is at its center with an unprecedented two films in Competition, Nadine Labaki's 'Capharnaüm' and Abu Bakr Shawky's 'Yomeddine', while there are of course quite a few other titles sprinkled among the sidebars, including Mohamed Ben Attia's 'Weldi'. A newly formed Saudi Film Council is occupying a harbor-side pavilion and offering wonderful panels (including one on Sunday the 13th at 11 moderated by yours truly and featuring Annemarie Jacir, Haifaa Al-Mansour, Lamia Chraibi and TIFF's own Cameron Bailey) as well as much welcomed Arabic coffee and dates. When I dropped by on a late afternoon I really cherished that cardamom and saffron infused shot of Arabia and the hospitality brought me back to my days in the Gulf.
Read MoreThe Berlinale Diaries: Elia Suleiman talks Qumra plus Laura Bispuri's 'Daughter of Mine'
From the fabulous women of 'Daughter of Mine' to a wondrous man, my early Sunday morning at Berlinale was spent in the company of Elia Suleiman, the Palestinian filmmaker extraordinaire and Artistic Advisor of the Doha Film Institute.
Read MoreFollowing the Dubai International Film Festival, Where Does Arabwood Go Now?
“Are you ready for us to make history again?!”
As I stepped into one of the magnificent Majlis — literally translating as a “place of sitting” from the Arabic — a meeting room inside the Madinat Jumeirah complex to catch up with the Chairman of the Dubai International Film Festival, Abdulhamid Juma uttered those words. I was taken aback for a moment and then I remembered that throughout the six years I’ve attended DIFF, I’ve sat down with him and together, we’ve come up with some of best questions about Arab cinema, its place in the world and its importance in dispelling stereotypes and breaking down walls.
This year, I came to DIFF with a heavy heart and I leave it still wondering if all the efforts — personal and collective have been worth it. We’ve witnessed how easily the mighty of the film stratosphere can be taken down in Hollywood when no longer of use to their business partners, destroying careers that should be looked at with respect, regardless of these men’s questionable behavior. We seem to have forgotten that “the casting couch” is a term as old as the movies themselves. Now we just “throw out the baby with the bathwater” as the old saying goes...
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