First Doha Film Festival in Qatar ended on Friday with the presentation of the award for best feature film at the International Feature Film Competition. Guillermo Galoe“Sleepless City”
The film, which had its world premiere at Cannes Critics' Week, is set on the outskirts of Madrid, where 15-year-old Tonino's world crumbles as his best friend prepares to leave, challenging his understanding of home, friendship and the gypsy legends that shaped his childhood.
The Audience Award for the film in the section went to “Cotton Queen” by Suzanne Mirghani. The film premiered at Venice Critics' Week and won the Best Film award at the Thessaloniki Film Festival. It follows teenager Nafisa as she becomes the center of a power struggle over genetically modified seeds to determine the future of her village in Sudan, combining environmental criticism with coming-of-age drama.
The documentary award went to Cihan's My Father and Gaddafi, which had its world premiere in the Venice Out of Competition section. The film follows a daughter's quest to uncover the truth about the disappearance of her father, peaceful opposition leader Gaddafi, as she pieces together a 19-year search for her mother.
The Artistic Achievement Award at the International Feature Film Competition went to Kamal Al Jafari's With Hassan in Gaza and Chi Hayakawa's Renoir.
The Best Actor award went to Once Upon a Time in Gaza actors Majd Eid and Nader Abd Alhai.
Pablo Perez Lombardini's “Reserve” deserves special mention.
The jury was chaired by Academy Award-nominated Cambodian director Rithy Pan. He was joined by Tunisian director and screenwriter Raja Amari; Moroccan film director and actor Fouzi Bensaidi; Tunisian actor and director Dhafer L'Abidine; and Final Cut Venice founder and curator Alessandra Speciale.
At the Ajyal competition, selected by the youth jury, the Best Feature Film award went to The Voice of Hind Rajab, directed by Kaouther Ben Hania.
The International Short Film Competition's Best Film Award went to Leonardo Martinelli's Samba Infinity, while the Best Director Award went to Aria Sanchez and Marina Meira's Elementary Education. Randa Maaroufi's “L'mina” deserves a special mention. The performance award went to Milica Janevski from At Sunrise and a special mention for performance was given to Ammar Ahmed from Zizou.
In the Made in Qatar section, the awards included: Best Film for Fahad the Furious by Justin Kramer; Best Director Eyman Mirghani for “Villa 187”; and the Abdulaziz Jassim Award for his role as Rashid Al Sheeb in Fahad and the Fury. Fahad Al Nahdi's The Aisha Project deserves special mention.
