Qatar’s Katara Studios Increases Production with Four Picture Slate
Katara Studios, a pan-Arab content hub that creates films in the Arab world, has revealed a four-picture schedule at a Red Sea Film Festival special event as it ramps up production.
It includes the biopic Sakhr, a tribute to Kuwaiti tech pioneer Mohammed Al-Sharekh. The film takes its name from the first Arabic-language operating system that he developed, the computer system.
A.J., a young Qatari filmmaker, is also backed the fantasy film Sari & Amira. Al Thani is a filmmaker who has made waves for his short films The Black Veil, Kashta and The Black Veil.
It is billed as a story of love and resilience set in the desert of Wadi Sakheema, and revolves around Amira and Sari. The film follows the adventures of Amira and Sari as they fight mythical creatures and navigate their marriage misadventures to find a legendary treasure. Alex Uloom is joined by Hala Al Turk and Abdelmohsen al Nemr, as well as Adwa Fahad.
Sa3oud Wainah is another title that the company has released. It was described as a commercial feature film for Qatar, a first in the Gulf.
The mystery thriller features a Qatari cast led by Mishal al Dosari and Abdulaziz El Dorani, as well as Saad Al Nami. It revolves around two brothers who attempt to duplicate a magic trick they learned from their father, but it goes horribly awry.
The fourth title, Anne Everlasting, is about Anne Lorimor. She climbed Mount Kilimanjaro aged 89 to reclaim the title of the oldest person who scaled the summit.
The film, As She Climbs, follows her past struggles, resilience, and the mission of the foundation she founded, Creating Exciting Futures.
Katara Studio’s roadshow at the Red Sea Film Festival was its first international major event.
The executive team, led by CCO Hussein Fakhri, was in full force. They included Communication Manager Salman Al-Muhannadi, Senior Developer and Film Writer Fahad Al-Kuwari, Director Mohammed Al Ibrahim, Senior Developer and Content Developer Mohammed Al Ibrahim, Liam Ruddel, Head of Sound, Maryam Al-Sahli, Post Production Manager, and film editor Maryam Al-Sahli, and Luca Bercovici, SVP,
Katara Studios’ CCO Fakhri said, “Katara Studios has a vision of igniting pan-Arab creative energy, sparking cross-cultural exchanges, and empowering diverse voices.”
We want to tell stories that will resonate with audiences around the world. Our projects being launched at the Red Sea International Film Festival is a testament to our commitment to shaping Arab storytelling in the future and making a global impact.”
The Pact, a sci-fi original drama for The Roku Channel; and Chasing dreams, an inspirational sports documentary now airing on Shahid are all previous Katara Studios’ productions.
The studio produced the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Opening and Closing Ceremonies and The Lost Chapter of Kelileh wa Demneh – a live show to be shown at the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 opening ceremony.
