'Point Blank' movie still
Doha, Qatar: The Doha Film Institute (DFI) announced that its “Watching the Classics” lecture with Prof. Richard Peña is scheduled on November 27, featuring the movie “Point Blank” by John Boorman.
Designed as an online programme, the initiative offers filmmakers and cinephiles a unique opportunity to deepen their knowledge into film history. To fully engage with the lecture, participants are encouraged to watch “Point Blank” before the session, easily accessible on popular streaming platforms.
Throughout the lecture, select images and clips for discussion will be incorporated for discussion. Attendees will have the chance to ask questions, creating an interactive and enriching experience.
“Join us for this chance to revisit some of your favourite films — or to discover works that have helped change the course of film history,” DFI said on its website.
The lecture is part of the nine-part series “Making Movies Modern,” which explores cinematic revolution, dissecting major trends, tendencies, and emblematic works. Artists such as Luis Buñuel, Jean-Luc Godard, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Andrei Tarkovsky will be featured in discussions.
The November 27 lecture is the eighth session of the series, running from 5:30pm to 7:30pm
DFI highlighted the impact of modernist style on Hollywood filmmakers, singling out John Boorman’s work as a powerful example.
“The impact of modernist style can be seen in the work of various Hollywood filmmakers, but nowhere more powerfully than in John Boorman’s dream-like account of a newly freed criminal’s attempt to settle the score with those who set him up. Walker (an amazing Lee Marvin) seems to continually move from memory to fantasy to an increasingly grim reality.”
Interested participants, aged 18 and above, can register on DFI’s website, dohafilminstitute.com, for a fee of QR50.
Conducted in English, the programme caters to those with a baseline knowledge of filmmaking, offering an avenue to expand their understanding of film history.
A renowned scholar, Prof. Peña is Professor of Film Studies at Columbia University and Director Emeritus of the New York Film Festival.
