A still from the 'Kawkabani' sneak peek
Doha: Doha Film Institute (DFI) has released a sneak peek of the upcoming Qatari animated web series “Kawkabani”.
The web series, being supported by DFI grants programme and directed by Hossein Heydar and Amal Alshammari, tells the story of an alien who never missed a World Cup.
The anime series is timely as the country will be hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup from November 21 to December 18.
“Kawkabani” is an entertaining animation series that tells stories from Qatar’s local culture to a global audience. Season one will have 15 episodes of 10 minutes each. The sneak peak was even praised by Geneva-based Italian animation filmmaker Mauro Carraro, who said: “Super well done” with emojis heart eyes and clapping hands.
The main character is an alien wherein his spaceship crashes in Qatar while he was on his way to Russia to the 2018 tournament. Three Qatari guys find him in the Sealine desert, and they end up showing him around Qatar. The 2018 FIFA World Cup was held in Russia between June 14 and July 15, which was the 21st edition of the quadrennial worldwide football tournament.
The production company for this web series is Nefaish Animation cofounded by Heydar. It is a creative animation studio specialised in producing high-quality animations inspired by Qatari culture. They offer 2D, 3D animation and motion graphics.
They deliver messages in a meaningful and innovative way through stories, and no story can reach and affect people without proper execution.
Hossein Heydar is an animator who holds a BFA in Film and Animation. He is also an accomplished entrepreneur having worked for the first Qatari mobile app game company, and has experience working as an animation director, 3D animator, storyteller, script writer and creative thinker.
