Hamad International Airport opens round-the-clock screening room for Qatari films

Hamad International Airport has opened a walk-in cinema in Concourse D dedicated to short films by Qatari and Qatar-based filmmakers. It was created with the Doha Film Institute (DFI) to introduce departing and transit passengers to the country’s film industry.

The Made in Qatar Screening Room, beside the Lancôme Café, opened on November 8 and runs 24 hours a day until December 27. There is no fixed program, so passengers can walk in and stay as long as their connection allows. Screenings are free, with complimentary popcorn. The films come from Made in Qatar, the strand DFI uses to showcase locally produced work, which also runs as a competition section at the institute’s annual festival.

Ali Darwish, vice president of terminal operations at the airport, said at the launch that Hamad is many passengers’ first introduction to Qatar, and for those who are only transiting “it might be the only stop.” Abdulla Al-Musallam, deputy chief executive of DFI, said the partnership gives Qatari stories a platform to reach audiences from other cultures.

The screening room also serves as a curtain-raiser for the Doha Film Festival, which runs from November 19 to 27 and for which Hamad is the official airport partner. This year’s festival opens with the MENA premiere of The Station, the debut feature from Yemeni-Scottish director Sara Ishaq. The program includes a Made in Qatar competition for short films alongside international and youth sections.

The initiative extends the airport’s practice of filling passengers’ dwell time with culture as well as retail, alongside a public art collection that includes Urs Fischer’s 7-meter (23-foot) Lamp Bear. It also gives DFI an audience few film programs can reach: travelers who might never otherwise encounter Qatari cinema.