My Doha Tribeca Film Festival Experience

the 2012 Doha Tribecal Film Festival Banner ( by Doha Film Institute)

I’ve been excited to write and blog about my Doha Film Festival  (managed by Doha Film Institute) experience . I have been really blessed & at the same time overjoyed. Having my chance again to be a part of this awesome Festivity. The routine of my week were somehow different from my previous participation~ that includes staying at Gulf Hotel suite (owned by IHG: InterContinental Hotel West Bay Doha, Please visit their site for the info), that’s near  Katara Cultural village. This gave me a whole leeway of sinking myself with a week of rest, enjoyment,  of food, good time with friends & of MOVIES!!

The DFI Family day Photography Workshop (Sponsored by Sony/Fifty One 51 East)

A look: Celebrating Doha Tribeca Film Festival

1st & 2nd day of DTFF: It’s all been sunny around Doha. My mornings are rested with the fact that I’m about to have an ownage of those days and all-be-able to fully load it with excitement, a lot of running and learning as well. Meeting our Coordinator, Ms. Susan Magnano ( her site on http://www.magnanimouspictures.com/index2.php) , the head of the workshop and the rest of the Family day Photography workshop volunteers (Which I thought was for kids only) gives me an easy breezy, welcoming feel. Now that’s a great start with a wonderful Coordinator and of a team! There in that workshop we taught the basics of “Lightroom” (An app/program for post photo processing which I really never tried using) and giving our views & personal opinions on those great pictures they’ve taken.

After our hands-on procedure, they would select their 3 best photos in which we will be then printing out~ as a simple memorabilia as well as giving those entries a chance to win A Sony Camcorder on our photography competition. It was indeed a splendid time hanging out with those great people. After a long day of volunteering, I had a coffee with a great colleague at Café Vergano @ The Pearl Qatar, my 2nd round of dinner @ Belgian Café (Thank you to Ms. Sheila for the treat!!!), drinks with friends and Hotel mates & wild cheer to cap my day out.

3rd day of DTFF: It was a Friday. To Middle East countries Like Qatar, Friday is an important day of their religion to celebrate, gather in faith and offer a solemn prayer to Allah. It is also considered a weekly day of feast, to enjoy and pay a time to visit their loved ones~ friends, family & relatives.

Collage of my DTTF 2010-12 shirts, Cataplana of Nando’s. Giffoni film Screening (Rise of the Guardians) etc..

And for me, I spent the day starting with a quick jog in the morning around Katara, having our delicious meal @ Nandos, seeing Wreck-it-Ralph movie & a coffee layover @ starbucks City Centre. After it, I headed back to my room to be accommodated by my bed til 3pm afternoon (Watching Japanology over NHK World, A Japanese lifestyle channel showcasing Japan’s best sites and wonders)…

Ms. Maila (our Model) posing for our photoshoot session conducted by Mr. Roy

Our Mentor, Mr. Roy & the models (Ms. Maila & Jeff )

It is also my great privilege to be a part of a Photo-shoot workshop sited in Sir Ariel’s room (beside mine ). A great chance on learning more things about photography, conducted by Mr. Roy (Thank you Sir for being such a cool, great mentor to us starters). Thank you as well to Sir Ariel for giving us a welcoming space inside your humble room, to Maribel, To the models ~ Ms. gorgeous Maila & Jeff (whose been so candid and lighthearted ), and to all my dear colleague who tirelessly shoot and enthusiastically learn about the night’s photo-shoot lessons.

Photoshoot session facilitated by Sir Roy..

Setting things up! **pictorial 101**

An evening @ the Festival: Photoshoot in Obelix & Asterix booth

An evening @ the Festival: Dinner with Maribel, Katey and Marissa at Saffron

An evening @ the Festival: Saffron’s meat Tikka dish

An evening @ the Festival: E.T. screening at the Open Air Theatre

An evening @ the Festival: capping the night out in Al Gelato

4th & last day of DTFF: I woke up early that day. While I’m completely absorbed by the Saturday air, I then quickly fix myself and ran heading to my assignment on the Kite-making workshop of the Doha Tribeca Film Festival. It’s really a great experience sharing my time, & on teaching these kids how to make their very own personal kites, as well as to hear their stories about their Festival activities & experiences.

the kid’s bubble party

To recount, I also made my turn to go for a long queue, to exchange my vouchers and secure our seats for the “Rise of the Guardians” premiere, for an 8pm movie screening. Unfortunately though, 8pm slots are already full. Tickets has been all out since that afternoon which basically gave me the idea that my hard-earned vouchers will all be put into waste. Useless, right? Luckily, the Facilitators of that event gave a few seats to some, YES, Including me!!!  But only for a 5 o’clock film screening. I guess I am still having my lucky ball rolling~

That movie event was presented by Mr. Abdulaziz Al-Khater, the CEO of the Doha film Institute. We then all enjoyed watching the movie (…..in 3D) …. My night was ended by a Shrimp Linguine dinner only at Mykonos Restaurant ( of InterContinental Hotel Doha) ….

Yummy treat: Shrimp Lenguine served with a Lemon Mint juice.

meeting some friendly staffs of InterContinental Hotel (Ms. Catherine & Me)

That week of fun is enveloped in Films & of Photography, of free time from work, of spending time with friends & colleagues, with fellow volunteers & festival coordinators, of sipping coffee, of sharing my own time with kids & families. That week is simply coated with such great, great times. I was so happy to be a part of Doha Film Festival and felt really honored to be a part of that dynamic team, to work with such intelligent and creative people surrounding the whole Film Institution. It is somehow my own personal diversion for the art of Films, and of Photography. It is more than the expectation I could have bargained for. It is more than an ART, more than a form of CONNECTION… A connection that can simply be shared to accentuate creativity, of togetherness, of being united in the sense that whatever religion we believe in, or passion we may have, there is always a thing we can be a part of. That we can somehow contribute to~ and that is through any medium that we are putting our hearts into, & the way of  simply being INVOLVE. #goodLIFE

The Glorious landscape: And my day-offs ended well