Animated web series to introduce local culture, promote Qatar 2022 launched

With the aim of introducing the Qatari culture and promoting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, a number of young Qataris have launched an entertaining cartoon series called "Kawkabani". The 5-episode series was produced by Nefaish Animation Studio, with the support of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), the Doha Film Institute (DFI) and Vodafone Qatar. The work was written and scripted by Qatari writer Amal Al Shammari and directed by Hossein Heydar. The first episode of the cartoon is expected to be aired on the first day of Eid al-Fitr via the Internet.

Writer Amal Al Shammari said in a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) that "Kawkabani" is a Qatari entertainment animation series consisting of 5 episodes, and each episode is 11 minutes long. The events take place in the outskirts of Qatar; with the aim of sharing local culture with a global audience. Al Shammari added that "Kawkabani" is a story of an alien who never missed a World Cup, while he was on his way to Qatar to attend the world cup, his spaceship crashes in the Sealine desert where three Qatari young men find him, and they end up showing him around Qatar. Hossein Heydar explained that animation is a global language that targets everyone of all ages and nationalities, and that this series is a way to share the Arab culture and values with the world, pointing out that this work is the result of the cooperation of local talents to produce an integrated work that competes with the global market.