Innovative collaboration provides platform to showcase film-making talent to the local community.

The Fire Station: Artist In Residence has further cemented its position at the heart of Qatar’s thriving creative community with the announcement of an innovative, film-based partnership with Al Jazeera Documentary.

From October 2017 until May 2018, Al Jazeera Documentary and the Fire Station will together screen a series of short documentaries, running between 30 minutes and one hour in length, all related to art and culture. A total of 15 films will be screened at the 100-seat cinema at the Fire Station over the next eight months.

The objective of the partnership is to raise awareness and appreciation for art and culture amongst the local community, as well as provide platforms to showcase and celebrate both established and less well-known creative talents.

Amongst the highlights of the series include Color Maker, an exploration of artist Hassan Al Sharq’s journey from early childhood and humble beginnings in the small village of Zawyet Sultan in Al-Minya, Egypt. The film traces his success in establishing himself as a globally celebrated artist and celebrates his talent for showcasing landmarks from Egypt and the Arab world in striking paintings now exhibited in several of the largest museums around the world.

Elsewhere, the Fourth Age is a documentary that provides an insight into the experiences of a group of elderly people who discovered their artistic talents later in life, following retirement. It captures the experiences of a group of individuals from Lebanon and Morocco who defy common perceptions and prejudices towards old age through the strength of their determination to succeed in their chosen field.

We Are Still Together follows the lives of Palestinian artists, the late Ismail Shammout and his wife Tamam Al Ahkal, who both created art depicting more than 50 years of the Palestinian experience since the ‘Nakba’, or mass eviction of 1948. The film features an in-depth examination of the artists’ work, the direction of their paintings, and how each influenced the other.

The collaboration between the Fire Station and Al Jazeera Documentary is the latest example of the rich and diverse programmes of events and activities organised by the Fire Station – and highlights its growing importance as a cultural destination, with a range of facilities and attractions for the local community including an art supply shop, restaurant, café, and gallery space.

Khalifa Al Obaidly, Director of Qatar Museums’ Fire Station, said:

“As a centre for creative exchange, this partnership with Al Jazeera Documentary perfectly fits with our mission to inspire an indigenous culture of creativity and innovation in Qatar. We hope this eclectic mix of films will attract and interest the widest possible audience and build new appreciation for both established and less well-known artistic figures. At Qatar Museums, we’re fully committed to providing a dynamic and varied programme of events and activities such as these to inspire, educate and inform the local community.”

Entry to see the films is free of charge and open to the public.

For more information about the activities at Fire Station visit www.firestation.org.qa and @dohafirestation.