Three Qatari artistes who have played a key role in nurturing the growth of theatre, film and radio in Qatar, are encouraging people to take part in the Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF) and the country’s growing film industry. Actor and director Nasser Abdul Reda, the founder of youth theatre in Qatar who was previously director of the Qatar National Theatre, encouraged people to participate and get involved with DTFF. “Any Qatari artist should be proud of this festival. We hope it will become bigger and bigger, and that more people will participate in the wide range of educational programmes and public events associated with this festival,” said Abdul Reda. Ghazi Hussein, one of the most prominent television actors in Qatar, who also helped establish Radio Qatar, said film is an important message for the people. “Festivals connect the audience with artists.” “Cinema is not just for film enthusiasts — it is also a tool for all parts of the community,” said Saad Bu Rashid, who has written and directed a wide range of dramas in his varied career and is currently a member of the Cinema Committee for Doha 2010 Arab Capital of Culture. Rashid said cinema stores the “memory of the people in a way that we will never lose” and talked about the artistic side of films. All three artists have played a key role in nurturing the growth of the theatre, film and radio industries in Qatar, and had warm words of encouragement for young people starting out in these areas. They also spoke about the wider social importance of Qatar’s growing film industry. The three gathered at the DTFF stand at the Career Fair last week sharing their work and experiences, and advice to the young people attending the event. With Qatar building the foundations of a vibrant new cinema industry, all three artists agreed that there was a bright future ahead with a host of opportunities for people with the right level of commitment and enthusiasm. The DTFF team took part in Qatar Career Fair to recruit enthusiastic young people looking to play a role in shaping the future development of a new film industry in Qatar. As DTFF has become a year-round cultural organisation, full-time career opportunities are currently available in departments including film and video production, new media, business development, marketing and communications, education and community outreach. Early response to DTFF’s outreach activities has been extremely enthusiastic, with a high volume of visitors to the stand and a number of people applying to work with the Festival, the DTFF team reported. http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=March2010&file=Local_News2010032225130.xml

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