Interview with Hafiz Ali Ali
2017
Distribution and censorship play an important part in the filmmaking process. Qatari filmmaker Hafiz Ali Ali shares his nuanced story of how the cinema industry and its culture began in Qatar, linking the country with other Arab countries such as Egypt and Bahrain.
Hafiz Ali Ali is an established Qatari film director with extensive experience in the arts. His films include Cab Driver (2004), The Oryx Return (2007), and Scent of Shadows (2009) which explores cinema going in Qatar. He directed his first feature-length film, Gharangao in 2008 for Al-Jazeera Children’s Channel. With support from the Doha Film Institute he is currently developing two feature-length projects. Hafiz is the director of Msheireb Museums. A further interview with Hafiz can be found in the Voices and Conversations publication accompanying the Arab Identities, images in film exhibition.