Curtains down on First Latin American Cultural Festival Over 5000 flocked to Katara to enjoy the best of Latin Music, Dance & Film Doha, October 15th, 2011: The first Latin American Cultural Festival (LACF) hosted at Katara, ended last night on a spectacular high with a show stopping performance by world renowned Jorge Ben Jor who electrified audiences with his musical talents. The ten-day festival, showcasing the best of Latin dance, music and film from nine Latin countries saw over 5,000 visitors stepping through the gates of Katara. The first edition of the festival, running from the 6th – 15th October, brought together 230 artists and performers from Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. AbdulRahman AlKhulaifi, President of Katara said, “The festival was organized in partnership with the Latin American embassies, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them. The festival fits with our vision to educate, entertain and demonstrate the importance of bringing together different cultures.” Audiences were charmed by 15 outstanding musical and dance performances and eight phenomenal films. The eight award winning films were selected in collaboration with the Doha Film Institute (DFI). The films from Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, El Salvador, Uruguay, Peru, Costa Rica and Venezuela explored the culture of their respective countries. Viva Cuba (2005) and Argentinean drama-adventure film Iluminados por el Fuego (2005) proved to be the smash hits at the festival. Katara also worked closely with The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO) who showcased an especially composed symphony with Jose Molina, the director of the Dominican National Symphonic Orchestra. The Orchestra included some of the Dominican Republic’s most talented musicians and enchanted the audience with their beautiful melodies. Marcio Barbosa, General Manager of Katara said last night, “The festival has been a great success, audiences were wooed night after night by the alluring performances. Children enjoyed the magnificent Circus performances, whilst adults were delighted by outstanding musical and dance performances leaving Katara with smiles.” Brazilian singing sensation Jorge Ben Jor gave a show stopping performance at the closing ceremony. Crowds roared as he played his signature song “Mas que nada” which was made internationally known by Sergio Mendes and later remixed by the Black Eyed Peas. The biggest crowd pleasers were Circuba, after ticket sales rocketed an additional date was added to the incredible line up. Musical sensations Johnny Ventura of the Dominican Republic also caused a stir as well as the Brazilian Carnival which received a standing ovation. “The first Latin American Cultural Festival has provided the nation with a flavour of South America. Thousands of people turned out to see their favourite performance and we expect more people to come along to next year. This year we provided an array of film, music and dance performance, we aim to represent Latin American culture in other mediums at next year’s festival.” said Malika AlShraim, Public Relations Manager, Katara. Although the curtain has fallen on LACF, Katara recently announced their upcoming festivals which will run throughout the month of October. The festival will include a paint symposium, Music Boulevard, handicrafts and sculpture workshop which demonstrates the best of Qatari talent. - ILQ News -

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