Exhibition of 1 minute films starts

Nearly 50 short films focused on the theme of liberation have gone on display at the ‘Harrer Harrer’ exhibition which was opened by Egyptian actor, Khaled al-Nabawi yesterday afternoon. The video exhibition features one minute films which were made following workshops in nine cities including Amman, Beirut, Cairo, Tunis, Ramallah and Jaffah among others. The display is one of the clearest reflections of the political situation in the Arab world following the various revolutions which have taken place in recent months and which many hope will bring historic change to the region. The exhibition has been put together by the Doha Film Institute education team, headed up by Scandar Copti, who spoke to Gulf Times at the opening about the importance of dealing with politics through the medium of film. “The theme is liberation, the participants explored the meaning, the limits and the boundaries of freedom and how the general liberation will affect their personal liberation,” he explained “We wanted the exhibition to be interactive, and the designer of the structure came up with this idea of a rollercoaster with visitors choosing their own narrative,” he said. “The Arab Spring is not a date in history, it is something that is continuous and is happening – it is a change that will take time, as it is a change from one ideology from another,” he said, adding “we are a part of this – we are a part of this change that is happening.” “Film is an amazing medium to pass on your ideas; it is so powerful today - it is much more powerful than any other tool because it is so accessible, it affects you and it changes your mentality,” he argued. “For me, filmmaking is a kind of activism – I’m more of an activist than a filmmaker,” he said, adding “it’s trying to say what you believe in and having the goal of changing perceptions.” “It will not be an overnight change – it will take time,” he said of his efforts to promote the film industry in Qatar and the wider region, “but I don’t believe in overnight transformations anyway.”