Intaj: Film, Television and Theatre Exhibition in Qatar

Intaj is a multimedia exhibition curated by Sheikh Khalifa Abdulla Al-Thani about the early days of film, television and theatre in Qatar, and its development over the past few decades.

Besides the local local history, the exhibition includes objects from the collections of Qatar Museums related to the advent of still photography and the evolution of the moving image like the Kaiser Panorama from the 19th century, the Panavision PSR R-200 movie camera used by George Lucas in 1976 to film the first Star Wars (now known as Star Wars IV: A New Hope). There are also early film posters, including a first edition Micky Mouse Sound Carton poster, and a collection of iconic costumes from films like The Wizard of Oz, Casablanca, Titanic and James Bond. Plus “a cinematographic wall” featuring contributions from Qatar’s creative community and works by multidisciplinary artists from Qatar.

Taking place at Sikkat Wadi Msheireb in Doha, it opened on November 8 2022 and ends on January 22.


When I first heard about this exhibition (“intaj” is Arabic for produce) I thought to myself a version of this exhibition should happen in all the Gulf countries, and wouldn’t it be great if one exhibition can combine a collective history of the regions’s film, television and theatre and travel to other cities.

Very little is known about this history outside the region and with the lack of an institution dedicated to preserving this history, perhaps putting together an exhibition can help inspire creating one. Audio-visual and media history within the region is usually presented and shared as a nostalgic homage, but it’s time to move away from that and treat it more seriously.


Intaj is split into three chapters, and the following are images and extracts from the the press release I received from the Doha Film Institute. I didn’t get a chance to travel to visit this exhibition, but I really hope we get to see more attempts of exhibitions like this.

 

The opening gallery at Intaj, Taking Centre Stage, highlights the dramatic rise of theatre in the country. From its humble beginnings in schools and social clubs, the contemporary theatre scene gained traction after the nation gained independence in 1971, with the founding of the Qatar Theatrical Troupe in 1972, and the Al Sadd Theatrical Troupe a year later.

As the art form progressed and gained popularity, two additional troupes were formed—the Lights Theatrical Troupe and Folk Theatrical Troupe.

In 1994, these four acclaimed organisations amalgamated into the two that are mostly recognised today — the Qatari Theatrical Troupe and the Doha Theatrical Troupe. Since then, the Qatar National Theater opened its doors in 1986 and the Qatar National Convention Centre in 2011, with its 2,300-seat theatre.

 

Tuned In, celebrates Qatar’s television industry at Intaj’s second gallery. Since the founding of the national public service channel Qatar Television in August 1970, the nation’s TV scene has scaled new heights and during its celebrated five decades in operation, Qatar TV launched the careers of countless directors, reporters, actors and other television industry professionals.

The station provides media and journalism students with insights and experience in broadcasting, and was one of the first Arab channels to include fully modern devices and equipment.

 

The third gallery shines the spotlight on Qatar’s rich cinematic history with A Focus on Filmmaking, beginning with modest 16mm film theatres in the 1950s. As popularity grew with local audiences, venues began opening throughout the country, resulting in the formation of the Qatar Cinema Company in 1970. The nation’s film production industry took its first tentative steps in 1975, when Qatar TV began making short documentaries.

The art form grew into today’s thriving cinema industry, and in 2010 the Doha Film Institute was launched to support Qatari and regional film community through funding, training and international networking opportunities for filmmakers in the Arab world and beyond.

To date, the Institute has supported over 750 projects from over 75 countries and is the first Arab organisation to receive 10 Oscar® nominations in seven consecutive years for its supported films.

The exhibition concludes with a retrospective of world cinematic history with the Qatar Museums gallery, “The Story of Cinema” and a cinematographic wall featuring contributions from Qatar’s creative community.

 

Flowing through explorations of each art form’s development and influences on contemporary culture, the Intaj journey presents The Interactive Age of Storytellers gallery featuring works from local multidisciplinary artists including:
Adriana De Souza
Amna Al-Baker
Hamida Al-Kawari
Jaber Henzab
Kaltham Fakhroo
Nasser Al-Kubaisi
Noor Al-Nasr
Maryam Al-Homaid
Maryam Faraj Al-Sowaidi
Mohammed Al-Hamadi
Mohammed Al-Malek
Mohammed Faraj Al-Suwaidi
Reem Al-Haddad
Roda Al-Thani
Sharefa Al-Mannai

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