DFI at VOX
Schedule
- Thu Oct 31, VOX Cinemas, DFC
Doha Film Institute and VOX Cinemas Qatar are proud to bring you the very latest and critically acclaimed releases from the world of independent cinema. Every month, we will be screening another unmissable original film.
Past Screenings:
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Terrestrial VersesThursday, 26 September 2024 – 7:00 PM |
Directed by: Ali Asgari, Alireza Khatami
‘Terrestrial Verses’ is an anthology that captures the daily struggles of ordinary Iranians as they navigate their country’s complex socio-political landscape. Set in Tehran, the film unfolds through nine compelling stories, each portraying individuals striving to assert their rights amidst the burdensome constraints of politics and bureaucracy. The characters encounter challenges in various facets of life, from administrative hurdles and educational barriers to work-related issues and everyday interactions. These stirring vignettes, humorous and affecting, capture the spirit and determination of people amidst adversity, offering a nuanced portrait of a complex society.
Rating: 15+
Genre: Feature Narrative, Drama
Language: Arabic & English
Subtitles: Farsi with Arabic and English Subtitles
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The TeacherThursday, 29 August 2024 – 7:00 PM |
A film by Farah Nabulsi
A poignant and timely portrayal of the Palestinian experience under occupation, centered around a schoolteacher named Basem. Torn between his dedication to political resistance and potential relationship with Lisa, a volunteer worker, Basem also grapples with supporting Adam, a student traumatized by violence. Nabulsi’s film, praised for its emotional depth and strong performances, has garnered widespread acclaim, earning multiple international awards.
Rating: 18+
Genre: Drama
Language: Arabic & English
Subtitles: English & Arabic
In collaboration with
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HajjanThursday, 27 June 2024 – 7:00 PM |
Directed by: Abu Bakr Shawky
An epic coming-of-age drama set in the high-stakes world of camel racing. The film follows Matar, a young boy who, after his brother’s death, becomes a jockey to save his beloved camel, Hofira. Together, they navigate the challenges of the desert and the intense competition of Bedouin camel racing. The film beautifully captures the deep and unspoken bond between boy and animal. It features stunning cinematography of the Arabian desert—combining elements of adventure and emotional depth, offering a unique glimpse into this traditional, beloved, and challenging sport.
Rating: PG-15
Genre: Drama
Language: Arabic
Subtitles: English
Family-Friendly Screening
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Chicken for Linda!Friday, 28 June 2024 – 4:00 PM |
Directed by: Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach
Paulette feels guilty after unjustly punishing her daughter Linda and would do anything to make it up to her. Linda immediately asks for a meal of chicken with peppers, which reminds her of the dish her father used to make. But with a general strike closing stores all across town and pushing people into the streets, this innocent request quickly leads to an outrageous series of events that spiral out of control, as Paulette does everything she can to keep her promise and find a chicken for Linda.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Animation
Language: French
Subtitles: Arabic & English
Family-Friendly Screening
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Saleem30 May 2024 – 7:00 PM |
Directed by: Cynthia Madanat Sharaiha
Starring: Dawood Afishat, Dolly Dib, Fatima Ghanem
After fleeing his war-torn town with his mother and two siblings, 9-year-old Saleem is now displaced, and forced to start life all over again. He is tormented by memories of the past and struggles to cope with the loss of his father. Now, faced with the ever-intimidating antics of the playground antagonists, Saleem struggles to find his footing. Things weren’t looking up for Saleem, but one morning, a mystical pigeon swoops into his life and uncovers what seems to be an old treasure map. Reluctant Saleem finds himself on the path of a new adventure! New friends Fares, Zeina and Abboud, rally around him, and together traverse the old town looking for the treasure. With a map for the journey, an anchor for clues, and a compass for direction, Saleem finds a treasure that he never knew he needed.
Rating: PG
Genre: Feature Narrative, Animation
Language: Arabic
Subtitles: English
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Bye Bye Tiberias25 April 2024 – 7:00 PM |
Directed by: Lina Soualem
Starring: Hiam Abbass, Um Ali, Nemat Abbass
In her early twenties, Hiam Abbas left her native Palestinian village to follow her dream of becoming an actress in Europe, leaving behind her mother, grandmother, and seven sisters. Thirty years later, her filmmaker daughter Lina returns with her to the village and questions for the first time her mother’s bold choices, her chosen exile, and the way the women in their family influenced both their lives. Set between past and present, ‘Bye Bye Tiberias’ pieces together images of today, family footage from the nineties and historical archives to portray four generations of daring Palestinian women who keep their story and legacy alive through the strength of their bonds despite exile, dispossession, and heartbreak.
Rating: 18+
Genre: Documentary
Language: Arabic, French
Subtitles: English, Arabic
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We Have a Dream26 April 2024 – 4:00 PM |
Directed by: Pascal Plisson
Starring: Maud Pruvost, Romy Pruvost, Antonio Luis Santana Cruz
The inspiring stories of children with disabilities who defy societal expectations and confront their challenges with unparalleled bravery and determination. Travelling across continents, this compelling documentary captures the essence of love, inclusive education, humour, and courage through the lives of these extraordinary young individuals. Each child’s journey is a testament to the power of the human spirit to transcend physical limitations and pursue dreams with a determined passion. The film beautifully illustrates that, against all odds, fate can unveil astonishing surprises, proving that every individual has the potential to move mountains, regardless of the obstacles they face. ‘We Have a Dream’ is not just a film—it’s a celebration of resilience, hope, and the unyielding will to live life to the fullest.
Rating: PG 13
Genre: Documentary
Language: English, French, Nepali, Portuguese
Subtitles: English and Arabic
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If Only I Could Hibernate1 February 2024 – 7:00 PM |
Directed by: Zoljargal Purevdash
Starring: Batmandakh Batchuluun, Tuguldur Batsaikhan, Sukhee Lodonchuluun
Ulzii, a teenager from a poor neighbourhood in Ulaanbaatar, is determined to win a science-physics competition in order to get a scholarship. His illiterate mother finds work in the countryside, leaving him and his younger siblings by themselves in the middle of winter. Torn between handling his household and studying for the national competition, Ulzii will have no choice but to take a risky job to feed his family and keep his home heated.
Rating: 15+
Genre: Drama
Language: Mongol
Subtitles: Arabic, English
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Coco Farm2 February 2024 – 4:00 PM |
Directed by: Sébastien Gagné
Starring: Oscar Desgagnés, Joey Bélanger, Emma Bao Linh Tourné
After his father faces financial struggles, 12-year-old Max is forced to shut down his garage pawn shop and move to the country. The young entrepreneur rallies the help of his cousin Charles and local YouTuber Alice to start an egg farming business. The animal-friendly Coco Farm quickly becomes a major hit, but the three partners soon find themselves facing the harsh realities of an industry controlled by mega-corporations.
Rating: PG 13
Genre: Drama
Language: French
Subtitles: English and Arabic
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Saint Omer28 December 2023 – 8:00 PM |
Directed by: Alice Diop
Starring: Kayije Kagame, Guslagie Malanda, Valérie Dréville
This powerful and poignant drama delves into the complexities of an African woman’s experience in France. The film places the audience in the jury box, unfolding the trial of Laurence Coly, a young Senegalese immigrant and philosophy student, accused of the unthinkable—the murder of her 15-month-old daughter Lili. As the trial progresses, young novelist Rama seeks inspiration for her book on maternal love, drawing parallels to Medea’s Greek tragedy. Testimonies reveal layers of Coly’s life, resonating with Rama’s own identity as a Senegalese woman in France. This courtroom drama, inspired by a real case, masterfully explores themes of motherhood, cultural divides, racism, and the societal challenges faced by women of colour. It’s a contemplation of humanity amidst inhumane circumstances, challenging the audience to question their own judgments.
Rating: 15+
Genre: Feature Narrative / Drama
Language: French, Wolof, Italian
Subtitles: Arabic, English
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Scrapper29 December 2023 – 4:00 PM |
Directed by: Charlotte Regan
Starring: Lola Campbell, Alin Uzun, Cary Crankson
This vibrant and inventive father-daughter comedy follows Georgie, a resourceful 12-year-old girl who secretly lives alone in her flat in a working-class suburb of London following the death of her mother. She makes money stealing bikes with her best friend Ali and keeps the social workers off her back by pretending to live with an uncle. Out of nowhere, her estranged father, Jason, arrives and forces her to confront reality. Uninterested in this sudden new parental figure, Georgie is stubbornly resistant to his efforts. As they adjust to their new circumstances, Georgie and Jason find that they both still have a lot of growing up to do. Winner of a Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, ‘Scrapper’ is a moving and frequently hilarious story of two emotionally tangled people—a grieving kid thrust into adulthood and a father in over his head.
Rating: PG
Genre: Feature Narrative / Drama
Language: English
Subtitles: Arabic
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Nezouh28 September 2023 – 8:00 PM |
Directed by: Soudade Kaan
Starring: Hala Zein, Kinda Alloush, Samer El Masri
14-year-old Zeina and her family are the last to have stayed in their besieged hometown of Damascus in Syria. A missile rips a giant hole in their home, exposing them to the outside world. When a rope is mysteriously lowered into the hole, Zeina gets her first taste of freedom, and an unimaginable world of possibility opens for her.
As the violence outside escalates, the family is pressured to evacuate, but Mutaz, her father is adamant that they stay, refusing to flee to the uncertain life of a refugee. Faced with a life or death dilemma, Zeina and Hala, her mother, must make the choice whether to stay or leave.
Rating: PG 13
Genre: Drama
Language: Arabic
Subtitles: English
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Dounia & The Princess of Aleppo29 September 2023 – 4:00 PM |
Directed by: Marya Zarif, André Kadi
Starring: Rachaf Ataya, Elsa Mardorissian, Manuel Tadros
Six-year-old Dounia loves to play, learn and discover new recipes. She lives with her grandparents and father in Aleppo and treasures hearing stories of her mother, who tragically passed away when Dounia was too young to remember. One night, a group of uniformed men take her father away, and an uneasy feeling begins to take hold. War has begun, but her grandparents do their best to shelter the young girl from its effects. As bombs drop around them, the family decide to flee in search of a new home with only a few possessions—and a little magic in hand.
Their perilous journey takes them across land and sea. Joined by other fleeing refugees, the motley crew find some solace in each other through shared songs and stories. Dounia’s more traumatic encounters are eased in child-like flights of imagination thanks to her magic ‘baraki’ seeds. The film deals with quite a heavy subject matter in displacement, war and loss, but the protagonists’ upbeat attitude and grit, along with enchanting musical scenes, make it an optimistic experience full of hope and wonder.
Rating: PG 13
Genre: Drama
Language: French
Subtitles: Arabic and English
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Our Brothers24 August 2023 – 8:00 PM |
Directed by: Rachid Bouchareb
Starring: Reda Kateb, Lyna Khoudri, Raphaël Personnaz, Samir Guesmi
December 5th, 1986. Thousands of students take to the streets of Paris to protest the harsh higher education reforms. Twenty-year-old Abdel Benyahia attempts to break up a bar fight but is tragically shot dead by a drunken police officer. Just hours later, Malik Oussekine is pursued and beaten to death by three police officers from the controversial motorcycle unit. As revolt threatens to erupt amidst a population horrified by Malik’s murder in the heart of their city, the families of both victims, while never meeting, struggle to understand what really happened that night.
Three-time Academy Award® nominee Rachid Bouchareb revisits the dramatic events of Paris in December 1986. While Malik Oussekine’s death made national headlines, the equally tragic death of Abdel Benyahia was relatively forgotten. Although unrelated, the shocking events are linked by a single, harrowing night and inspector Daniel Mattei. Charged with investigating both deaths, he is faced with an unwilling police force and government who conspire to cover up Abdel’s death and discredit the murdered man. ‘Our Brothers’ is a timely and sobering story about police brutality and race relations with sadly all-too-contemporary relevance.
Rating: 18+
Genre: Drama
Language: Arabic, French
Subtitles: English
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EO27 July 2023 – 8:00 PM |
Directed by: Jerzy Skolimowski
Starring: Sandra Drzymalska, Lorenzo Zurzolo, Mateusz Kościukiewicz
Legendary filmmaker Jerzy Skolimowski directs one of his most free and visually inventive films yet, placing the viewer directly in the heart and mind of a four-legged protagonist. The world is a mysterious place when seen through the eyes of an animal. ‘EO’, a grey donkey with melancholic eyes, meets good and bad people on his life’s path and experiences joy and pain. He endures the wheel of fortune as it randomly turns his luck into disaster and his despair into unexpected bliss—but not even for a moment does he lose his innocence.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Language: English, Polish
Subtitles: Arabic
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The Last Queen22 June 2023 – 8:00 PM |
Directed by: Damien Ounouri & Adila Bendimerad
Starring: Adila Bendimerad, Dali Benssalah
Algeria, 1516. Aruj Barbarossa, one of the most notorious pirates in history, frees Algiers from the tyranny of the Spanish and seizes power over the kingdom. But rumour has it he murdered the King Salim Toumi, despite their seeming alliance. After his ascension to power, Barbarossa quickly proposes marriage to the slain king’s beautiful wife—Queen Zaphira. Strong-willed and resolute, she breaks with tradition and chooses her own destiny, fighting for her autonomy, her beloved son and her nation. Between history and legend, this woman’s journey tells of a struggle, of personal and political turmoil endured for the sake of Algiers.
Led by exceptional female performances, Algeria’s first costume drama, ‘The Last Queen,’ is a fascinating historical drama—although Zaphira’s actual existence and exact role is still a hotly contested topic amongst Algerian historians to this day. Regardless, its story is Shakespearean in scale and intrigue, exploring a crucial period in time for the North African nation that has never been done before in film. Between its impressive action scenes and well-choreographed battles lies a very human story of political intrigue, betrayals and power that paints a rich portrait of a now-legendary female figure.
Rating: 18+
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Language: Arabic
Subtitles: Arabic, English
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Mediterranean Fever25 May 2023 – 8:00 PM |
Directed by: Maha Haj
Starring: Amer Hlehel, Ashraf Farah, Anat Hadid
Winner of the best screenplay award in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section last year, the darkly comedic ‘Mediterranean Fever’ explores the complicated friendship between two starkly different neighbours in Haifa. An aspiring writer, Waleed lives with his wife and children. Spending most of his day staring at a blank computer screen in search of inspiration for his book, Waleed struggles with mental illness that even his therapist seems unable to alleviate. After a chance encounter with his new neighbour, Jalal—the pair develop an unlikely bond. Seeing in Jalal the potential of source material for his novel, Waheed joins him eagerly on his daily errands into an increasingly dangerous world of petty crime.
As Waleed delves deeper into Jalal’s criminal activity, the true motives behind their growing relationship are not as they first appear. Their friend/enemy dynamic gives the film an ingenious level of charm and sly wit, portrayed perfectly with incredible performances from the two leads, Amer Hlehel and Ashraf Farah. Full of black humour and surprising twists, critically-acclaimed filmmaker Maha Haj keeps us guessing until the very end in this unpredictably captivating comedy about masculinity, mental health and loneliness.
Rating: 18+
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Language: Arabic
Subtitles: English
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Until Tomorrow29 December 2022 – 8:00 PM |
Directed by: Ali Asgari
Starring: Sadaf Asgari, Ghazal Shojaei, Babak Karimi, Amirreza Ranjbaran, Nahal Dashti
Fereshteh is a young mother facing a serious dilemma. On the surface, she is relatively happy, studying and working in a print shop in Tehran, with dreams of one day travelling abroad. But her parents are coming to visit, and she has kept a secret from them—her two-month-old daughter. Born out of wedlock and with little help from the father, Fereshteh and her trusted friend Atefeh must resort to increasingly desperate measures to keep her baby hidden and safe in a city with limited options for a mother living outside of traditionally accepted family norms.
Rating: 18+
Genre: Drama
Language: Farsi / Arabic
Subtitles: English
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The Innocent27 October 2022 – 8:00 PM |
Directed by: Eskil Vogt
Starring: Rakel Lenora Fløttum, Alva Brynsmo Ramstad, Sam Ashraf
During the bright Nordic summer, a group of children reveal mysterious powers. But what starts out innocent soon takes a dark and violent turn in this gripping supernatural thriller.
Rating: 18+
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Language: Norwegian
Subtitles: Arabic and English
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Whether the Weather is Fine28 July 2022 – 8:00 PM |
Directed by: Carlo Francisco Manatad
Starring: Daniel Padilla, Charo-Santos, Rans Rifol
Determined to flee to the big city after Typhoon Haiyan ravages a coastal town, Miguel searches for his mother Norma and his beloved Andrea before another storm approaches.
Rating: 15+
Genre: Drama
Language: Visayan
Subtitles: Arabic and English
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The Rose Maker23 June 2022 – 8:00 PM |
Directed by: by Pierre Pinaud
Starring: Catherine Frot, Manel Foulgoc, Fatsah Bouyahmed
Eve Vernet was the largest rose grower. It is now on the verge of bankruptcy, on the verge of being bought out by a powerful competitor. In addition, Véra, her faithful secretary, employed three employees without any gardening skills.
Rating: 18+
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Language: French
Subtitles: Arabic and English
Casablanca Beats24 March 2022 – 8:00 PM |
Directed by: Nabil Ayouch
Starring: Anas Basbousi, Ismail Adouab
Former rapper Anas takes a job at a cultural centre in a working-class neighbourhood in Casablanca. Encouraged by their new teacher, his students will try to free themselves from the weight of restrictive traditions in order to live their passions and express themselves through hip-hop…
Rating: 18+
Genre: Drama, Music
Language: Arabic
Subtitles: Arabic and English
C’mon C’mon24 February 2022 – 8:00 PM |
Directed by: Mike Mills
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffmann, Woody Norman
Johnny (Joaquin Phoenix) and his young nephew (Woody Norman) forge a tenuous but transformational relationship when they are unexpectedly thrown together in this delicate and deeply moving story about the connections between adults and children, the past and the future, from writer-director Mike Mills.
Rating: 15+
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Subtitles: Arabic