The first Doha Film Festival in Qatar concluded on Friday, with Guillermo Galloe’s The City That Never Sleeps winning the Best Feature Film award in the International Feature Film Competition.
The film, which had its world premiere at Cannes Critics’ Week, is set in the suburbs of Madrid. As his best friend prepares to depart, 15-year-old Tonino’s world unravels, challenging his understanding of home, friendship, and the gypsy legends that shaped his childhood.
The film audience award in this category went to Susanna Mirghani’s “The Cotton Queen.” The film premiered at the Venice Critics’ Week and won Best Picture at the Thessaloniki Film Festival. The film combines ecological criticism and youth drama, portraying teenager Nafisa at the center of a power struggle over genetically modified seeds to determine the future of her Sudanese village.
The documentary award went to director Jihan’s “The Father and Gaddafi,” which was screened for the first time in the world in the Out of Competition section in Venice. The film chronicles a daughter’s quest to uncover the truth behind the disappearance of her father, a peaceful rebel leader against Colonel Gaddafi, and compiles her mother’s 19-year search for him.
The International Feature Film Competition’s Artistic Achievement Award went to Kamal Al Jafari’s “With Hasan of Gaza” and director Chie Hayakawa’s “Renoir.”
The award for best performance went to “Once Upon a Time in Gaza” actors Majid Eid and Nader Abd al-Hai.
Special mention was given to “The Reserve” by Pablo Perez Lombardini.
The chairman of the jury was Academy Award-nominated Cambodian film director Lissie Phine. Tunisian director and screenwriter Raja Amari also joined him. Moroccan film director and actor Fawzi Bensaidi. Derfer Rabidin is a Tunisian actor and film director. Founder and curator of Final Cut Venice Alessandra Speciale.
In the Ajal competition, selected by a youth jury, the Best Feature Film award went to Kauser Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab.
The Best Film award at the International Short Film Competition went to Leonardo Martinelli’s Samba Infinito, and the Best Director award went to Alia Sánchez and Marina Meira’s Elementary Education. Special mention was to “L’mina” by Randa Malofi. The acting award went to Milica Janefski for “Upon Sunrise,” and the special award went to Ammar Ahmed for “Zizoo.”
In the Made in Qatar category, the Best Picture award went to Justin Kramer’s “Fahad the Furious.” Ayman Mirghani for “Villa 187” won the Best Director award. He won the Abdulaziz Jassim Award for his performance as Rashid Al Seeb in “Fahad and the Fury.” A special mention was to “Project Aisha” by Fahad Al Nahadi.
