The importance of keeping Qatar’s pearl diving tradition alive among the new generation is the subject of this week’s short film presented by the Doha Film Institute (DFI) as part of its weekly online series.
Titled ‘Land of Pearls’, the 2011 film helmed by Qatari filmmaker Mohammed Al-Ibrahim can be viewed for free on DFI’s YouTube channel starting last Thursday.
The 10-minute film is about a pearl shopkeeper named Saad played by Ahmad Alomeri who satisfies the curiosity of his grandson, Rashid (Mohammed Al Malik) on a pearl he treasures by recounting the story behind it which goes back to his youth, a difficult time in his life as a pearl diver.
“There are things in this world more important than you think,” Saad says as he begins telling the story of the origin of the pearl and why it is significant to him. The award-winning film depicts the difficulties and dangers of pearl diving and the sacrifices pearl divers in the past had to endure in order to provide for their families.
In the olden times, pearl divers didn’t only sacrifice time away from their families, having to spend months in the middle of the sea in search of prized pearls, but also, at times, lives due to physical dangers which inevitably arise with traditional pearl diving.
The film was written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Mohamed Al-Ibrahim who holds honorary degrees in Criminal Justice as well as Film Studies. He is a three-time grant recipient from DFI between 2013 and 2019.
‘Land of Pearls’ and another short film he directed ‘Bidoon’ (2013) have won awards and toured worldwide festival circuits, including Cannes, Venice, and Tribeca. Al Ibrahim has also served as a writer on several TV series.
He is currently developing the TV series ‘Bullshark’, and the feature films ‘You Should Be Dancing’, as well as ‘81’—all revolving around characters inspired by actual events in the Arabian Gulf.
Launched in April, DFI’s “Short Film of the Week” brings the very best of DFI-supported films for movie buffs to enjoy in the comfort of their own homes. It is aimed 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, and “Gubgub” by Nouf Al Sulaiti. The series also features exclusive behind the scenes interviews on the directors’ insights about the process of making their films and cinema in general.
