QF Doha Debates turns to films to help solve global challenges

Tribune News Network Doha Qatar Foundation’s Doha Debates and the US-based Points North Institute are teaming up to launch Solutions Cinema. The initiativ...

Tribune News NetworkDohaQatar Foundation’s Doha Debates and the US-based Points North Institute are teaming up to launch Solutions Cinema. The initiative is designed to foster public dialogue and explore potential solutions to global challenges, helping empower individuals and communities to shape their future.Solutions Cinema is a first-of-its-kind partnership between Doha Debates and Points North Institute, a nonfiction arts organisation best known for producing the Camden International Film Festival, which celebrates its 17th edition this September, as well as several artist development initiatives that support nearly 60 projects annually. Kicking off this month with a month-long series of free virtual film screenings and summit-style interactive discussions, Solutions Cinema will bring together a global community dedicated to story-driven social change. Amjad Atallah, managing director of Doha Debates, said: “Doha Debates is delighted to partner with the Points North Institute to launch Solutions Cinema. This initiative will be extraordinary, bringing together filmmakers, educators and students for thoughtful dialogue and debate about how to better use the medium of film in the pursuit of solutions to some of humanity’s most challenging issues.” The inaugural Solutions Cinema programme will be presented in four parts and will include the screening of 12 feature and short documentary films. Selected films have been curated to encourage robust conversations, each highlighting people who are addressing injustice and inequity using the tools of community organising, politics, education, media-making and the law to fight for a better future. Featured films will include two recent Sundance award-winning titles, Homeroom, by acclaimed director Peter Nicks, and Writing With Fire, the debut feature from Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh. The programme also includes several short films recently produced by Doha Debates, including Cherán: The Burning Hope, a short documentary by filmmakers Elpida Nikou and Rodrigo Hernández exploring how an Indigenous community sparked a social movement in Mexican state of Michoacán. Another short film includes The Water Queen by South African filmmaker Lungelo Mdlalose, which draws attention to South Africa’s worsening issue of water scarcity, with an all-South African cast that includes actor Busisiwe Mtshali. Another documentary, The Invisibles, directed by Italian filmmakers Carola Mamberto and Diana Ferrero, offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at African migrant labourers during the height of the pandemic in Italy in April 2020. Interactive discussions will take place each Thursday in April from 7pm to 8:30pm, Doha time, starting April 8. These summits, which will be held on Zoom, will explore story-driven strategies for social change, including how filmmakers, film protagonists and film audiences can each find agency to address inequity and injustice. Additionally, each session will include a number of noteworthy participants, including lawyers, elected officials, academics and activists. Students, educators, filmmakers and film industry professionals will also be invited to contribute to the conversation. These meetings will be hosted by award-winning filmmaker Marjan Safinia, director of the PBS series And She Could Be Next and former board chair at the International Documentary Association. Points North Program Director Sean Flynn said, “Social impact documentaries have historically spent more time describing social problems than exploring people’s responses to them. “Inspired by the great work we’ve seen in solutions journalism, we want to create a unique communal space online so we can unpack the ‘theories of change’ behind documentary films and explore how they might help us imagine and manifest a brighter future.”Film screenings and participation in the weekly Solutions Cinema Summit interactive discussions are free and open to the public. Advance registration is required and most featured films have limited virtual seats available. All films will be available to view online for 10-day periods during the month of April. Films will be made accessible to registered attendees one week prior to the discussions.To see the entire list of selected films or to register for the Solutions Cinema Summit, visit www.SolutionsCinema.com.