DOHA TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL’S CAN’T-MISS PICKS Tickets Going Fast for Screenings of Acclaimed Films and First Arab Film Competition Directors and cast in attendance at these films include Carmen Lebbos, Mahmoud Kaabour, Mohamed El Sayed, Robert De Niro, and many more (24 October, 2010) Doha, Qatar – On the eve of the second edition of the Doha Tribeca Film Festival, which runs Oct. 26-30, there are plenty of can’t-miss films festivalgoers should put on their lists. DTFF’s first Arab Competition is packed with acclaimed titles from a range of perspectives. Among the standouts is Man Without a Cellphone, an endearing comedy about Palestinian youth. Director Sameh Zoabi and stars Razi Shawahdeh and Louai Nofi will all attend screenings of the film at DTFF. Other titles and special guests include Iran-Iraq war allegory The Quarter of Scarecrows (with director Hassan Ali Mahmoud attending); The Mosque, about the effects of a film production on a small Moroccan town (director Daoud Aoulad-Syad and stars Bouchra Hraich and Ettuhfi Abdellatif ); My Name is Ahlam, a documentary about a Palestinian woman living in the occupied West Bank (director Rima Essa); Itto Titrit, about a Moroccan girl’s effort to circumvent gender rules (with director Mohamed Abbazi and stars Ali Mssoubri and Sidi Moh Chakri); Hawi, a multi-character portrait of modern Egypt (with director Ibrahim El Batout and cast members Mohamed El Sayed, Sherif El Dessouki, Hanan Youssef, Rina Aref) Grandma, A Thousand Times , director Mahmoud Kaabour’s documentary about his Beiruti grandmother; The Mountain, a haunting art film about a man’s month alone at a desolate hotel (director Ghassan Salhab and star Fadi Abi Samra); and Once Upon Our Time, a documentary tracing two years in the life of 15-year-old Tunisian violin prodigy Anas Romdhani (director Hichem Ben Ammar and cast members). The World Panorama section has several more essential titles, including Stone, a prison thriller starring Robert De Niro, Edward Norton and Milla Jovovich (with special appearances by De Niro and director John Curran); On the Path, a drama about a Sarajevo couple whose relationship is strained by religious fanaticism, which will be attended by director Jasmila Zbanic and Leon Lucev, who stars in the film with Zrinka Cvitesic; The Light Thief, about an electrician up against a totalitarian state (director Aktan Arym Kubat), Congolese music documentary Benda Bilili! (co-directors Renaud Barret and Florent de La Tullaye); Little Sister, an Asian version of the Cinderella story (with director Richard Bowen joining star Xiao Min at DTFF); Shahada, about three German-born Muslims in modern Berlin (director Burhan Qurbani and star Maryam Zarre); and The Kid, directed by celebrated actor and DTFF juror Nick Moran, who will attend along with Jodie Whitaker and Con O’Neill. Also of note is a special screening of Rakht Charitra, an Indian conspiracy thriller about a 2005 murder, which will be attended by director Rom Gopal Varma. For more information about tickets and DTFF events, please visit dohafilminstitute.com About Doha Tribeca Film Festival As the Doha Film Institute's annual celebration of all things film, the Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF ) is a community minded five day event that showcases the best of Arab and international films. The Festival also reflects DFI´s film financing and year-round educational arms with industry programs and filmmaker events designed to fulfill DFI´s mission of empowering storytellers and building a long term film industry in Qatar. Launched in 2009, the Doha Tribeca Film Festival reflects a successful cultural partnership between DFI and Tribeca Enterprises. Based on a mutual mission to promote the influence of cinema, the importance of community culture and the need for arts education, the Festival provides an annual platform that celebrates the wonders of film appreciation and entertainment from every corner of the globe. DTFF 2010 is proud to be supported by: official airline partner Qatar Airways, official telecom service provider Qtel, official sponsor Volunteer Programme Virgin Mobile Qatar, official sponsor Opening Night Screening Gala Al Fardan, and hospitality partners Four Seasons Hotel, W Hotel, and Grand Hyatt.

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