THREE Qatar University students have made a documentary on the inflationary pressures in Qatar, particularly the impact of the rising rents, as part of their graduation project. The 17-minute long film was co-produced by Fahd al-Amadi, Ali al-Sulaiti and Salem al-Adham, a report in a local Arabic daily said. According to the students, they chose the topic because “it deals with human suffering”. They focused on Qatari citizens who did not own property, especially the young and recently married. The students said they had found that high rents were inflicting a heavy blow on young Qataris as well as expatriates. The students filmed their project in houses rented by Qatari citizens who said they had paid about half of their salaries as rent. The film also has interviews with real estate owners who talked about the high cost of the construction materials. The owners said they did not build houses as part of their social service and they wanted profits and their money back. The landlords also believed that inflation was not a Qatari problem. “It is a worldwide phenomenon but it can be temporary,” one of the landlords said. The landlords stressed the need to increase salaries by the government. Dr Shaker Ayadi, of the Qatar University, said the film “dealt with a real problem and the three Qatari students have done a really good job.” http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=229179&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16

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