DOHA // As the sun dipped towards the horizon on the edge of the capital last week, fierce winds whistled across an open field, sending sand and dust swirling in the fading light.

For the small, inexperienced film crew shooting a dream sequence of a little girl searching for her father, it could have been a nightmare. But after waiting more than an hour for calm, the director changed tack and used the weather to her advantage.

“The wind whipping around in that field, and the silhouetted shot of the father with the cowboy hat, really made it work,” said the Qatari director, Sophia al Maria, 26. “The thing I learned is to be really flexible, make lemonade out of lemons.”

Flexibility seemed the watchword as eight young filmmakers of the Doha Film Institute’s 10-minute film project began shooting this month, aiming for a screening before Hollywood A-listers at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival in October. The final products will be months in the making, but the group’s confidence, ambition and steep learning curve point towards a bright future for film in Qatar.[Read More]