Doha: Doha Film Institute (DFI) is supporting two Qatari filmmakers to attend the second annual edition of Gulf Summer University, created by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs through its Gulf Film Office in association with French National Film School, La Fémis.
A special training programme to nurture filmmaking skills of GCC-based young directors, the university is being held in Paris until September 11.
Founded in 2014, the university is welcoming Qatari filmmakers for the first time this year.
DFI joined hands with the French embassy to identify the two participants, further underlining the commitment of France and Qatar to contribute to cultural and cinematic development in the region.
Fatma Al Remaihi, Chief Executive Officer, DFI, said: “The university is an exceptional opportunity for our young filmmakers to learn from masters of cinema in the creatively invigorating city of Paris.
“We are committed to extending all possible support to nurture our emerging filmmakers and providing them with access to knowledge and training to fortify their skills. Through our partnership with the embassy and La Fémis, we are highlighting global collaborations that are of great benefit to our filmmakers’ development.”
Marc Nicolas, Director-General, La Fémis, said: “We are pleased to welcome young aspiring filmmakers from the GCC countries in our school for five weeks.
“We hope the training will help them develop skills, discover the diversity of our French cinema and contribute to establishing professional basis in their country.”
The university 2015 is organised with support of GCC organisations, including DFI, Cinescape (Kuwait), Total (UAE), Technal Middle East, Dadahai, a private donor in Bahrain, and French embassies and Alliances Française offices in the GCC.
Open to seven young national filmmakers from the GCC, the programme aims to develop their filmmaking skills in a holistic way across multiple disciplines through classes led by professionals from the French film industry.
The five-week training consists of classes five days a week, during which trainees will explore the craft of filmmaking and discover contemporary French cinema through critical evaluations of works by major French directors.
The theory programme will cover production craft, work of a producer, co-production, funds and festivals, cinema aesthetics, French cinema, screenwriting, film fundamentals, script continuity, story breakdown, directing and casting.
The participants will also direct a five-minute film based on an existing script covering aspects such as rewriting, location scouting, shooting for one day and editing in four days.
Each trainee will be in charge of directing, camera operating and photography, sound recording and editing. For that purpose, they will be taught fundamentals of cinematography, sound recording and editing.
La Fémis was created in 1986, and has been chaired by international award-winning director Raoul Peck since 2010.
Supported by the French ministry, La Fémis trains 50 students every year to be directors, screenwriters, producers, editors, directors of photography, sound and production designers, continuity supervisors, film distributors and exhibitors. It is ranked as the sixth best school in the world by The Hollywood Reporter in its recent rankings. La Fémis is involved in setting up exchange agreements with international film schools, organising common curricula with partner schools, creating special programmes for foreign students, organising a short programme for European documentary filmmakers and activities within the network of film schools.
The Peninsula
