The five day event that showcases the best of Arab and international cinema began yesterday.

Doha is on its way to becoming the centre of film making in the Middle East since Amanda Palmer partnered with Robert de Niro's Tribeca Film Festival.  It will be authentically Middle Eastern in flavour but global in resonance. Ten films will participate in the Arab Film Competition, four of which are World Premieres: Grandma, A Thousand Times by Mahmoud Kaabour, Hawi by Ibrahim El Batout, Man Without a Cellphone by Sameh Zoabi and The Mountain by Ghassan Salhab.

“The films in our Arab Film Competition are evocative of the trials, tribulations and bittersweet facets of everyday life in the Arab world. As an Arab filmmaker, I am very proud to welcome four world premieres that will give our international audience an insider’s look at modern realities around the region, and help emerging and established filmmakers get the support they deserve.” — Scandar Copti, DFI Head of Education & Film Programmer

Other programme highlights include Julian Schnabel’s Miral, starring Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire), Stephen Frears’ Tamara Drewe, starring Gemma Arterton (Prince of Persia), Aktan Abdykalykov’s The Light Thief, Jeff and Michael Zimbalist’s documentary The Two Escobars, Abbas Kiarostami’s Certified Copy, Randall Wallace’s Secretariat, Jasmila Zbanic ‘s On the Path, Robert Redford’s The Conspirator and Egyptian-American comedian Ahmed Ahmed’s directorial debut with the documentary Just Like Us.