Doha Tribeca Film Festival

Family blockbusters, exciting red carpets and various creative workshops are just some of the many activities that will keep all ages entertained on Family Day at this year’s Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF). Tailored especially for families and children to celebrate films, local culture and community, Family Day will transform Katara Cultural Village into a buzz of fun filled creative activity from 2pm to midnight on Friday, October 28.

The centrepieces of the Program will be a glittering red carpet MENA premiere of the 3D animated film Cat in Boots (Puss in Boots) at 7pm at Katara Opera House with international superstar Antonio Banderas in attendance. And in an exciting last minute addition to the program, Steven Spielberg’s and Peter Jackson’s highly anticipated 3D animated film The Adventures of Tintin, featuring visual effects from four time Academy Award winning VFX artist Joe Letteri, will have a special sneak preview screening on Family Day at Katara.

DFI and Miramax will also present a special 10 year anniversary screening of Spykids at 6pm from the Katara Open Air Theatre.

Commenting on the exciting new addition , DFI’s Executive Director, Amanda Palmer, said: “The ‘Tintin’ team in New Zealand, with great support from Joe Letteri, went above and beyond to bring this film to Qatar, and the modern retelling of this iconic tale will no doubt be a highlight for audiences – young and old. This year we are so thrilled to be able to bring such a great trio of films to family audiences, from a classic action-adventure to two highly anticipated titles which represent the cutting edge of visual effects technology. The fact that the Festival is able to screen such amazing films really shows how important Family Day is perceived, not just by the local community but also the international industry. Audiences will also have a great opportunity to interact with one of their favourite internationals stars, Antonio Banderas, at the Cat in Boots red carpet later that evening, an exciting end to a powerpacked day of family activities”

In addition to the fabulous film line-up, Family Day, will also include a host of live performances, creative workshops and interactive games that aim to educate and entertain at the same time.

Family Day attendees will be able to pick up a ‘Passport to Fun’, which will guide them through dozens of activities, ranging from sports and street performances through to concerts, puppet shows, falconry exhibitions, arcade games and red carpet photo stations. Qatari Village (Ministry of Social Affairs) will also bring a strong element of local culture to the event through Qatari arts and crafts and demonstrations, as well as a series of Arabic and Qatari storytelling sessions. Mathaf (the Arab Museum of Modern Art) will inspire families to get creative and make a postcard of Doha that captures the spirit of the city.

A live ‘Theatre Clown’ performance will also be held at ‘Family Day’, marking the culmination of a series of workshops taught by world renowned acting coach Lee Delong. Throughout the year, Delong has been engaging DFI students in physical and emotional exercises designed to help them shed their inhibitions and build their stage presence. This special performance will see the Workshop’s students demonstrate their learnings before public audiences for the first time.

Other feature events include: performances and workshops at the Puppet Place with Gympanzee; demonstrations from The Mighty Jokerz Crew break dancing team; and live performaces from the Cirque Katara Troupe, martial arts groups and fire dancers, amongst others. In terms of multimedia entertainment, 51 East/Sony will be sponsoring a “Game Lab” filled with Play Station activities and gaming pods for youths to engage in competition and entertainment.

‘Family Day’ performances will also be staged by students from the American School of Doha, Compass International School and many others . Other Doha organisations taking part include: Qatar Stars League, hosting life-sized foosball and soccer shoot-outs; Doha Mums; Doha Players performing scenes from their latest production ; the Doha Community Orchestra; the Desert Dance Troupe; the Doha Musical Theater; and Kiteman Productions, hosting kite-flying and kite-making displays.

‘Family Day’ at DTFF 2011 is part of a wider family-friendly Festival program organised by the Doha Film Institute (DFI), which will also see special activities set up on Wednesday, October 26 and Thursday, October 27. Throughout the Festival, a group of students aged 9-13 will become a reporting team, which will cover all the family-friendly events and produce blogs, reviews and features. Supported by camera crews from Qatar University, the initiative – called ‘DFI Kids Access Program’ – will see participants uploading their content onto DFI’s official website.

Other family-friendly films recommended for young children during DTFF include The Hectometer and How Big Is Your Love, while children aged over 12 should check out Black Gold, Almanya – Welcome To Germany, Bollywood: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told, and Salaam Dunk.