Doha Tribeca Film Festival 2012: Iranian cinema credited with challenging stereotypes

The panel discuss issues of stereotypes in regional films at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival 2012. Credit: DFI

The issue of Khaleeji stereotypes in films was the subject of intense debate during a panel discussion at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival. And one of the most interesting comments came from Emirati author and screenwriter Mohammed Hassan.

“If we don’t produce modern movies, we are not representing and reflecting our society correctly,” he said. “You have to find the balance between social constraint and the storytelling and through this process we will move forward from the current plateau of portraying the same character over and over again.”

One filmmaker who has faced more than her fair share of social constraints in the pursuit of her art is Haifaa Al Mansour, the Saudi director credited with shooting the first full feature in the kingdom and a juror on the Made in Qatar section of the festival. Al-Mansour argued that there was one country in the region that had managed to achieve what Hassan was talking about.

“Iranian cinema is a great example of working within the boundaries, but challenging stereotypes,” she said. “My advice for young filmmakers? Watch Iranian films.”