A still from the Qatari film Kashta by AJ Al Thani.
The breathtakingly beautiful wind-sculpted limestone formations of Zekreet serve as the perfect backdrop for the acclaimed Qatari film Kashta which can now be viewed via the YouTube channel of Doha Film Institute (DFI).
The quiet Qatari desert landscape with its unusual rock formations and rugged dirt roads makes an ideal setting of the story of a man and his young sons on a hunting trip gone horribly wrong. In the film written and directed by AJ Al Thani, frustration leads to a harmless struggle between the two brothers, but their carelessness brings about sudden disaster
Al Thani shared in a behind the scenes interview that she had always wanted to make the kind of film she watched while growing up such as Star Wars or any film set in the desert, thus she was inspired to do her debut film Kashta.
For the film, which was a recipient of DFI’s Qatari Film Fund, Al Thani worked with the production company The Film House.
“When I got my grant for Kashta I knew that it was a huge milestone. It was the first time I worked with a professional crew. I really went out of my comfort zone, and I worked with a production company,” she said.
“As I’ve grown and the bigger knowledge I have of films, I started to create my own voice. What I wanted more than anything is to have a strong message behind each film,” she stressed.
The film won the Best Narrative Short Film at the Made in Qatar section when it marked its world premiere at the Ajyal Film Festival in 2016 and had taken part in many film festivals internationally.
“Kashta was a big stepping stone that showed my family that I was serious about filmmaking,” said Al Thani.
The film was uploaded on Thursday on DFI’s YouTube channel as part of its Short Film of the initiative.
Launched in April, the initiative brings the very best of DFI-supported films for film enthusiasts to enjoy in the comfort of their own homes.
The initiative aims at encouraging people to stay home amid COVID-19 pandemic while lending support to Qatari films and Arab cinema.
The series kicked off with the short narrative “Al Johara” helmed by Qatari filmmaker Nora Al Subai. Other films which had been featured were Amer: An Arabian Legend by Jassim Al Rumaihi, Red by Kholood Al Ali, Elevate by Hamida Issa, In the Middle by Mariam Al Dhubhani, The Unlucky Hamster by Abdulaziz Mohammed Khashabi, Gubgub by Nouf Al Sulaiti, Land of Pearls by Mohammed AlIbrahim, and Smicha by Amal Al Muftah.
