Robert De Niro at the DTFF

Doha, Qatar is beginning to make its mark in the world of film. Last weekend saw the close of the inaugural Doha Tribeca Film Festival, with the final awards handed out by Robert DeNiro, co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival.

The events of the DTFF began with the Middle Eastern premiere of Amelia, starring Hilary Swank and directed by Mira Nair. The Qatar cultural event saw a crowd of over 25,000 who came for the screenings, workshops, panel discussions, concerts and family activities.

The final night of DTFF, DeNiro presented the winners for “Audience Award for Best Film in the Festival” and “Audience Award for Best Arab Film in the Festival.” The winners were, respectively, Team Qatar (directed by Liz Mermin) and Pomegranates and Myrrh (starring Hiam Abbass). One of the other final awards was the “Most Promising Filmmaker,” which was awarded to Sophia Al-Maria for her one-minute film, The Racer.

The Doha Tribeca Film Festival was a partnership between Tribeca Enterprises and the Qatar Museums Authority. The aim of the festival has been to provide Qatar filmmakers with a platform for their stories. With the support of big names like Robert DeNiro, DTFF will quickly be growing and will soon hold a strong presence among the film industry.