First Day at School

There are moments in life that either define us or break us. I had one of those moments when I woke up this morning: the first day of the Arabia Offscreen expedition!

After months of hype, I woke up with a feeling of dread, not quite knowing to expect. The human heart fears the unknown and it was in that moment that I took the decision to grab life by the horns and prove that I am braver than I thought I was.

Meeting everyone was like any first day at school - fully equipped with our rules of NOT TO DOS by the Offscreen Expedition team, we were ready to set out and explore this mysterious country we'd heard so much about. 

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Date: 01.25.2012

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Hamida Al-Kawari

Age:
23
Location:
Doha, Qatar
Specialty:
Filmmaker

Third Culture Kid. That is what I like to think of myself - a product of all of the cultures I've been exposed to. I was born in Doha, Qatar but grew up between Riyadh and Cannes before moving to London in 2000. I speak three languages (English, Arabic and French) and the underlying inspiration behind my work is that we are bound by our humanity.

Sometimes the most simple truths in this world are ignored because they are so obvious. I want to promote the cultural similarities of the human experience and condition through my films. I moved back to Qatar in 2009 when I heard about the new film industry, spearheaded by the Doha Film Institute. My life has changed ever since. I currently work in the Education department under Oscar-nominated filmmaker Scandar Copti, and I am honoured to have him as my mentor. He encourages me to develop my filmmaking skills everyday and as a result I have produced my first short film. It will premiere at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival this year and it is based on a true story.