Sri Krishna
When Amal A. Al-Muftah attended Qatar Academy, she enjoyed watching movies, but did not initially consider taking a filmmaking class. Nevertheless, fate had other ideas, and as time went by, she developed a passion for the craft. As they say, the rest is history!
Amal, a Qatari filmmaker who grew up in Al Wakrah, has earned the nickname “the rising star of Qatari film.” Despite her young age of 24, she has already made several impressive movies.
Why are films important to Amal?
At workshop, she explained why movies are important to her:
What makes Amal’s movies novel?
After graduating from Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) with a degree in Communications in 2019, Amal created the film “Split Second” for the NU-Q THIMUN Film Festival. This narrative earned her both the Best National Award and the People’s Choice Award. Amal enjoys highlighting the flaws of individuals in her movies, which often prompts discussions and raises questions about various social issues.
What reason does Amal call her films her ‘own babies’?
Amal loves making films and is attached to all of them. She sees them as her ‘own babies’ because each was brought to life and raised differently.
What is Amal’s motivation?
Amal draws her motivation from the rich history and culture of the region.
What kind of movies does Amal like to make?
Amal likes narratives, to have the option to make a story. But, she enjoys making narratives and having the option to record the current situation. Her point is to have everything to do with filmmaking – from narratives to stories, to ads – all of it!
Does Amal recommend filmmaking to other women in Qatar?
She does, particularly Qatari women. She told Women of Qatar:
What else is Amal passionate about other than filmmaking?
Amal enjoys sports like cycling, boxing and water sports, and prefers attending sailing and scuba diving courses. She wants to travel, read, write, cook and she can play the oud and the guitar.
Here are a few trailers to Amal’s movies:
“Hamali” (2013), indicated the lives of the porters at Souq Waqif and won her an award.
“Al Kora” (2014), was her first short film. It was about a brother and sister trying to retrieve a lost football in an old Qatari village.
“Smicha” (2015), was motivated by her grandfather. She learnt a lot and increased massive confidence from this experience. She masterminded a private screening of the film and won a great deal of praise from local people. Specifically, all her relatives loved the film since it was related to them.
Sh’hab” (2018), was made in association with the Doha Film Institute and is about a naughty 8-year-old girl in Al Wakrah. Who might effectively spend time with her dad and older brother at sea. With an end goal to protect her home and safety, her mom starts to share with her the most detailed mythological stories about falling stars. Yet, this just stirs the little girl’s creative mind further, and she finds one around at night in an enchanting story about innocent interest and wonder.
Sh’hab” (2018) won Qatar’s Best Narrative Film Award at the Ajyal Film Festival in 2019, In 2020. The film won the Best Cinematography and Best Actress (Jory Al Darwish) Awards and the 2nd place in the Short Films Award category at the July 2020 VIFF – Varese International Film Festival.
The above are some of Amal’s movies. For more information about what films she’s made and what they’ve been about, kindly visit: https://www.amalalmuftah.com/title
To know better about Amal and see what new things she has in store when you follow her social media accounts:
Instagram: @amal.al muftah
Twitter: @AmalAlMuftah
Please Subscribe Us to get updated with Qatar News, Saudi News, Kuwait News, Health News, UAE News, Iqama, Visa, Jobs, Banking and More..
