City Doha Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Oscar-winning screenwriter, playwright and film director Christopher Hampton was on feisty form in a masterclass in Qatar earlier this week as part of the Doha Film Institute’s Qumra talent incubator event (March 10-16).

UK director Michael Winterbottom has suggested that his 2022 Gaza documentary Eleven Days In May had a tougher time securing a UK broadcast partner following an article in the London-based Jewish Chronicle linking his Palestinian co-director to Hamas.

Manchester Airport says it is set for a strong summer as passenger numbers return to near pre-pandemic levels and holidaymakers increasingly look to far flung destinations.

Oscar-winning writer Christopher Hampton is in talks to write a screenplay with French director Anne Fontaine about iconic feminist writer Simone de Beauvoir and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Nelson Algren’s transatlantic affair.

Oscar and BAFTA-winning film producer David Parfitt is hoping to reunite with French producer Philippe Carcassonne following their successful collaboration on Florian Zeller’s Oscar-nominated drama The Father. 

UK director Lynne Ramsay has given updates on a raft of projects she has on the boil, including a fresh collaboration with Joaquin Phoenix, on the fringes of the Doha Film Institute’s Qumra talent incubator this weekend.

Three months ago, Doha’s new Downtown Msheireb district was the throbbing heart of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar as one of its main fan zones.

Sundance prize winner Sofia Alaoui, Yemeni-Scottish Oscar-nominee Sara Ishaq and Emmy-feted Egyptian cinematographer Muhammad Hamdy will be among filmmakers presenting projects at the Doha Film Institute’s Qumra event, unfolding in Qatar March 10-15.

Playwright and screenwriter Christopher Hampton, producer David Parfitt, Dune costume designer Jacqueline West and directors Lynne Ramsay and Michael Winterbottom are to set attend the Qatari Doha Film Institute’s ninth talent incubator event Qumra in March.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent The Doha Film Institute has recruited an impressive mix of film directors and talents comprising Christopher Hampton, David Parfitt, Jacqueline West, Lynne Ramsay, and Michael Winterbottom who will hold master classes and act as mentors during its upcoming Qumra Arab industry incubator. The event, which is back in person after a two-year hiatus, will run physically March 10-15 in the Qatari capital of Doha, followed by an online program March 19-21. Qumra, which means “camera” in Arabic, blends together a creative workshop, co-production market, and festival elements. The event, now at its ninth edition, was established by the Doha Film Institute (DFI) to help foster first and second works, mostly by Arab directors and to create curated networking opportunities between the Arab and international film communities.

Manchester United fans have reacted positively to a cryptic tweet from a Qatari journalist as the Emir of Qatar continues to be linked with a bid for the club.

A journalist covering the FIFA World Cup died “suddenly” in recent days, a Qatar newspaper has reported, with the announcement on Saturday following by a day reports of the death of U.S. journalist Grant Wahl.

England’s emphatic 3-0 victory over local rival Wales in the Qatar World Cup was seen by a peak UK audience of 18.7M.

The U.S. beat Iran 1-0 in a gutsy must-win game at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar on Tuesday, helping the team qualify for the second round of the tournament where it will face The Netherlands in a knockout-stage game this weekend.Christian Pulisic made the difference today with a charging goal in the 38th minute of a dominant first half for the Americans at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha. It was the 22nd U.S. goal for the Chelsea striker, though he was injured during the play and was subbed out at halftime.

A TV reporter, who was robbed whilst live on air reporting on the World Cup 2022 in Qatar, says she has been left stunned by the police response to her reporting the incident. Dominique Metzger says officials asked her what punishment she thought would be suitable for the criminal who stole from her handbag.

The possibility of protest and non-protests are looming large over the England vs Iran World Cup match this afternoon (5 a.m. PST).

The FIFA World Cup in Qatar gets underway Sunday with an official opening ceremony leading into the first game, host Qatar vs. Ecuador, launching the monthlong tournament showcasing the world’s most popular sport.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has hit back at criticism of Qatar’s human rights record in an extraordinary press conference in Doha, the day before the World Cup kicks off in the Middle East. 

A Scots man locked up in Iraq for the past two months will have to wait for his homecoming after his flight home was delayed.

Days out from the start of FIFA’s soccer World Cup in Qatar, things are taking a turn for the surreal.

Qatar World Cup organizers have issued an apology to Danish broadcaster TV2 after journalists were “mistakenly interrupted” during a live broadcast from a Doha street where Qatari officials threatened to break their camera. 

Glastonbury Festival‘s fire-breathing Arcadia spider for celebrations during the football tournament this autumn.Live music performances including DJ sets will run in situ with the spider, which has become a firm fixture for electronic music at Glastonbury over the last decade.According to the Daily Mail, organisers of this year’s World Cup in Qatar have rented the 50-tonne, fire-breathing metal structure that Glastonbury itself hires annually from the Bristol-based Arcadia company for the tournament. No further details, however, on when it will be in place nor who is playing live inside the spider have been shared.The publication has reported further that a “well-placed source” suggested that the Arcadia spider may be one of the few zones in which alcohol is permitted to be drunk including at the stadiums and in the ‘Fan Zone’.

Naman Ramachandran BAFTA and Digital Cinema Media (DCM) have partnered on a cinema campaign, which premieres Aug. 19 across the U.K., to inspire the next generation of creative talent by showcasing the diverse range of skills and knowledge that goes into making award-winning films, games and television.

It may be Maša Marković’s first year as head of industry at the Sarajevo Film Festival, but for the long-time festival staffer, it’s business as usual.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorThe Match Factory will launch sales on the debut film by Ehab Tarabieh, “The Taste of Apples Is Red,” at the Toronto Film Festival, where the film will be premiering in the Discovery section. Tarabieh’s previous short films have won several prizes, including Best Short Film at Doha Tribeca Festival for “The Forgotten” (2012) and a nomination for a European Academy Award for “Smile and the World Will Smile Back” (2015).

Naman Ramachandran Factual content specialist Zinc Media Group has fundraised £5 million ($6.1 million) and is using £2.1 million of it towards acquiring award-winning production company The Edge Picture Company, which operates from its bases in London, Doha, Vancouver and Paris. The rest of the cash will be invested in talent, potential IP, and in future acquisitions and collaborations.

With the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) World Cup coming up, FIFA is facing scrutiny for endorsing hotels that discriminate based on sexuality.As ticket sales skyrocket for this year’s FIFA World Cup, organizers are attempting to crack down on endorsed hotels that violate their contracts by discriminating against guests. FIFA has required all official list accommodations to welcome guests – including LGBTQ people – in a “non-discriminatory manner” or face being removed from their official list.The World Cup will be held in Qatar from November 21 to December 18.FIFA’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy said that no discrimination would be occurring at the soccer competition.

A mum was forced to go endure the Manchester Airport queueing nightmare TWICE after her flight was grounded for over 24 hours. The woman says she was sat on the plane for over four hours and was offered only a chicken wrap before herself and her fellow passengers were told to get off and spend the night in a hotel.

Tim Cahill insists Australia are suffering without Ange Postecoglou at the helm.

The letter 'Z' has been seen daubed on the side of Russian tanks as Vladimir Putin's troops launched their invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.

Manori Ravindran International EditorMia Wasikowska will take on the lead role in “Little Joe” director Jessica Hausner’s cult thriller “Club Zero,” Variety can reveal.The Australian actor will portray an unusual schoolteacher in Hausner’s second English-language film, which begins shooting in the U.K. and Austria in July.Wasikowska was most recently seen in Mia Hansen-Løve’s Cannes-premiering film “Bergman Island.”In “Club Zero,” Wasikowska’s teacher takes a job at an elite school and forms a strong bond with five students — a relationship that eventually takes a dangerous turn.Discussing the film at the Doha Film Institute’s Qumra event last year, Hausner described the film as “a lot about eating,” relating to eating disorders and “eating behaviors.” This will be Hausner’s sixth feature.

Gallery: The most talked-about gala dresses (Espresso)She captioned the footage: 'Excited to be in Qatar honoring Fashion Trust Arabia, a non-profit organization with a mission to provide financial support and global recognition to emerging designers in the Middle East and North African region.

Naman Ramachandran Chadi Zeneddine, one of the core team that created the Doha Film Institute’s talent incubator Qumra, has taken charge as manager of the Cairo International Film Festival’s (CIFF) co-production market Cairo Film Connection (CFC).Zeneddine’s predecessor Meriame Deghedi is now head of Cairo Industry Days.The CFC is open for submissions through Aug. 5, 2021.CIFF recently confirmed that it will hold its 43rd edition Dec.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentQatar-based media organization Doha Debates and Maine’s Point North Institute have teamed up to launch Solutions Cinema, an innovative online film festival dedicated to diversity and social change.The month-long event, which kicks off April 1, comprises free screenings of 12 films – some of which are shorts – and interactive discussions.

direct to your inboxBoris Johnson has ruled there will be no international holidays until at least May 7 - but there are still more than 30 flights departing and arriving at Manchester Airport each day, with more than 2,000 passengers travelling on them.Flying in and out of Terminal One, flights are bound for destinations including Amsterdam, Doha, Addis Ababa, Belfast, Frankfurt and Abu Dhabi.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentThe Doha Film Institute has recruited a mix of prominent film directors comprising Claire Denis, James Gray and Jessica Hausner, as well as other top notch talents, to act as mentors during its upcoming Qumra Arab industry incubator which will be held online.Ace cinematographer Phedon Papamichael (“Ford v Ferrari”), and Oscar-winning sound designer Mark Mangini (“Mad Max: Fury Road”) will join the trio of auteurs for the creative workshop event.