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Young Bahraini filmmakers presented three documentaries showcasing Bahrain’s rich culture and close-knit community, in a grand red carpet event, culminating the third edition of Project Documentaries.
The initiative was staged by the US Embassy, in partnership with the Youth Affairs Ministry, at EPIX Cinemas, Dana Mall on Tuesday.
Youth Affairs Minister Rawan Tawfiqi, US Ambassador Steven Bondy and other guests attended.
A total of six awards were presented across various categories for the three films that were screened.
The visual creations were projects that 18 creatives worked on in teams as part of a programme in October, where they attended a series of workshops led by Emmy-nominated director and producer Todd Thompson.
“This is the third edition of Project Documentaries and I’ve been involved in each of the three and it’s incredible to see the progression each year,” Ambassador Steven told GulfWeekly.
“I’m pleased to see that this year, the subjects of the documentaries are just perfectly Bahraini themes. For someone like me, who is a foreigner, who has a great desire to learn about the kingdom, each time I watch these films, I feel better educated.
“We, at the embassy, are extremely grateful for the works that we do with the Youth Affairs Ministry. The minister (Rawan Tawfiqi) is a very strong supporter of this.
“But let’s not forget what the key aspect of this is: It’s to impart skills to Bahraini youth so that when they enter the labour force, they increase the capabilities of that sector. The film industry in Bahrain has a very bright future,” he added.
Jassim Ahmed, 22, who won the award for Best Directing for Hope from the Ashes, said bringing the film alive comprised many challenges, including permissions, making it a learning experience.
“It’s a great feeling to win this award but the bigger prize for me is the positive reaction of the viewers during the screening,” the Bahrain University student majoring in Mass Communication said.
“It was a learning journey especially in consistency and organisation. I found that combining storytelling with an event that happened six months ago was hard. It was like a puzzle where we had to work around the pieces and create a compelling, hopeful, story,” the Hidd resident explained.
Hope from the Ashes paints a vivid picture of the plight of shopowners and others who were affected by the Manama suq fire in June.
“It’s a very sensitive topic and we had to do extensive research to get our facts right,” Bahrain Polytechnic student Maryam Abdulwahab, 22, who worked in various production roles and managed the research work for the film, noted.
The other films – Al Dana documented Bahrain’s pearling heritage and Heroes Beyond the Track glorified the Bahrain Marshals – volunteers who are entrusted with ensuring safety and managing motorsport events in the kingdom.
“It’s been three months of intense efforts and a great opportunity. There’s so much that’s already been said about Bahrain’s sea and pearling tradition and so, the challenge for us was to tell the story in a unique way,” Rashed Althuwaini, 24, Al Dana writer and media graduate from Bahrain University, said ahead of the screening.
Project Documentaries is a platform providing young Bahraini students the opportunity to learn the nuances of filmmakking from industry experts.
