Robert De Niro, Kevin Spacey and Julian Schnabel are taking part in the Middle Eastern version of New York’s most famous cinematic event.
Qatar, the Persian Gulf emirate whose population boasts the second-highest standard of living in the world behind Lichtenstein, is seeking to boost its cultural image with its second Tribeca film festival in the capital Doha.
The Qatari partnership of the festival, co-founded by De Niro, 66, comes as media companies build stronger ties with the Middle East and studios at home curb investments. This year’s event is a day longer than last year and runs to October 30. It features 51 films, 20 more than last year, from 30 countries.
“This is a phenomenal attendance for a festival,” its executive director Amanda Palmer said. Directors and casts from 41 of the movies are attending, Palmer said.
Qatar has used revenue from the world’s third-largest gas reserves to develop its arts. It may bid for Christie’s International Plc, the Financial Times said, citing an interview with the emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. Christie’s owner Artemis SA said on Oct. 26 that no sale process had begun and it was still committed to the development of Christie’s.
The festival opened with a screening of Algerian director Rachid Bouchareb’s “Outside the Law,” a film about the Algerian war of independence that sparked protests when it was screened in Cannes earlier this year.
Actress Salma Hayek, who is on the jury, and Schnabel joined the opening party. His film “Miral” is showing at the festival.
De Niro showcases locally made 10-minute films and speaks on a panel. Spacey is in town for the preview of “Casino Jack” and will be attending a workshop today.
Later this year, Qatar plans to open Mathaf: the Arab Museum of Modern Art. I.M. Pei designed the country’s Museum of Islamic Art on the crescent-shaped waterfront.
The Doha Film Institute was established this year to develop a movie industry in a sheikhdom of about 1.5 million people. The institute includes a fund for financing films, providing as much as $200,000 for feature-length productions. The fund will be used to fund at least 10 Arab films a year as well as international productions, Palmer said. She declined to provide the size of the fund.
“We have never announced how much money,” Palmer said. “We are trying to create a sustainable film financing fund. What you will see is a commitment to invest in films, all different types of commitments.”
The festival opening, held in the newly opened Katara theater, included an indoor and outdoor screening of “Outside the Law” attended by more than 2,000 people.
Other films to be screened include John Curran’s “Stone,” Ahmed Ahmed’s “Just Like Us,” Abbas Kiarostami’s “Certified Copy,” Randall Wallace’s “Secretariat” and Justin Chadwick’s “The First Grader.” (Bloomberg)
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