September 29, 2009 03:00PM EDT

2009 Doha TFF Slate Announced

We've been keeping readers up to date about Doha Tribeca Film Festival, the exciting new venture kicking off this fall in the Middle East. Now that it's just a month away, we can get more specific. Doha TFF's amazing slate of films was announced earlier today, and it's a diverse group of 33 films—some you know, some you don't—that range from Hollywood blockbusters to festival favorites to what are sure to be new Middle Eastern classics.


Mira Nair's Amelia

On October 29, the opening night film will be the latest from Mira Nair, Amelia. Two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank stars in this landmark biopic about the extraordinary life of airwoman Amelia Earhart. Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor, and Cherry Jones round out the cast.


The Coen Brothers' A Serious Man

Familiar names are no stranger to Doha TFF, as the Coen Brothers' A Serious Man, Steven Soderbergh's The Informant!, Jane Campion's Bright Star, and Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story (which opened in the US last weekend to excellent box office) will all make an appearance.


Asghar Farhadi's About Elly

As Doha TFF was created in part to "inspire, eengage and educate a new generation of cinema appreciation" in the Middle East, it makes sense that the Festival will feature a number of Middle Eastern films. Heading the pack is Asghar Farhadi's TFF 2009 Best Narrative Feature winner About Elly, an understated thriller that examines the male-female dynamic in modern-day Iran. Other titles include Ruba Nadda's Cairo Time (starring Patricia Clarkson), Elia Suleiman's The Time That Remains, Najwa Najjar's Pomegranates and Myrrh (Al Mor wa al Rumman), Raja Amari's Dowaha (Buried Secrets), and many more.


Marshall Curry's Racing Dreams

Festival favorites are also a big part of the slate. TFF 2009 alumni making their way east include Marshall Curry's Best Documentary Feature winner Racing Dreams, Spike Lee's Kobe Doin' Work, Beadie Finzi's Only When I Dance, and Liz Mermin's Team Qatar.


Anne Fontaine's Coco Before Chanel

Other festival favorites with a lot of buzz include Lone Scherfig's An Education, R.J. Cutler's The September Issue, Anne Fontaine's Coco Before Chanel, and Cary Jôji Fukunaga's Sin Nombre. All have been garnering terrific reviews in the US.

All in all, the festival promises to be a one-of-a-kind event in Doha, with the films only part of the festivities. An open-air screening of the 1969 Egyptian film, The Mummy (Al-Momia), restored by Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Foundation, will be the highlight of a series of public events. More to come on those.

This is only the tip of the iceberg. Over the next month, we will be highlighting other aspects of the 2009 Doha Tribeca Film Festival. For example, ticketing details will be announced shortly. Stay tuned!
 

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