The Tribeca Film Festival Expands to Qatar
Celebration at Qatar Museum of Islamic Art
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Qatar Museums Authority (QMA), the organization dedicated to developing the cultural resources of Doha, (capital of Qatar) an Arabian Gulf state, as a platform for international dialogue and understanding, has announced an agreement with the Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), to launch a world-class international film festival, Tribeca Film Festival Doha. The first festival will take place November 10 - 14, 2009 and be presented at Doha’s celebrated new Museum of Islamic Art and in cinemas across Doha.
The announcement of the cultural partnership was made at a special ceremony at the new Museum of Islamic Art, which was attended by Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Chairperson of the Qatar Museums Authority Board of Trustees, and Abdullah Al Najjar, Chief Executive Officer of the Qatar Museums Authority. Joining on behalf of the Tribeca Film Festival were the co-founders, Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff.
H.E. Sheikha Mayassa expressed her confidence that the Tribeca Film Festival Doha will bring together people from around the globe and help to build international awareness and understanding of Arab culture and the Arab world.
“I invite film enthusiasts from every country to share their passion for this art by visiting the Tribeca Film Festival Doha,” Her Excellency stated. “In today’s increasingly globalized world, creative initiatives like this Festival can play a truly inspirational role by bringing cultures closer together.”
Tribeca Film Festival Doha will be modeled after the annual Tribeca Film Festival in New York which is going into its eighth year. It will welcome the community, diverse audiences and the global filmmaking industry. As a result of an extensive collaboration between TFF and QMA, the Festival has been designed to showcase the local Qatari community, as well as the broader Arab culture.
“The Tribeca Film Festival Doha is destined to become a major annual event in world cinema,” stated Abdullah Al Najjar. “The Festival will include a wide range of programming, from outdoor screenings to movies for children, from documentaries to new Hollywood releases and from independent films to showcases of the very best works by Arab filmmakers.”
Robert De Niro speaks during a press conference
announcing the creation of the Tribeca Film Festival Doha,
in Doha, Qatar. (AP Photos/Maneesh Bakshi)
“We hope that film will not only be used as a form of entertainment at Tribeca Film Festival Doha but play a role in bridging cultures closer together. By learning each other’s stories, we can see how much we share in common as well as explore and better understand our differences,” said Robert De Niro.
“The Tribeca Film Festival has become a world-renowned event, and its new partnership with the Qatar Museums Authority will leverage that success and help further its mission of introducing films and filmmakers to a global audience,” said Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. “The Festival’s substantial cultural and economic impact in New York City is unequivocal, and our hope is that Doha will reap similar benefits. The expansion of a New York institution like the Tribeca Film Festival to Doha is a sign of the international significance of New York City cinema and will help foster new relationships between our two cities.”
Tribeca Film Festival was founded in 2001 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff in response to the events of September 11. The festival’s initial purpose was to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of Lower Manhattan through an annual celebration of film, music and culture.
Up to date festival information can be found by visiting the official Tribeca Film Festival Doha website by clicking here.