Doha: Legendary American director Martin Scorsese on Friday gave his stamp of approval to the one-minute short films shown at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival and admitted that he had seen each at least two or three times.
"I was very excited to see the new filmmakers attempting to tell a story in such a short span of time. The idea of short films is something different and challenging, since you have to do something of substance in one minute. There are so many different ways to tell the story, but each of the films has a good sense of story telling and powerful emotions," says Scorsese.
Lauding the attempt of the filmmakers, the director who defined American cinema and whose credits include The Departed and Taxi Driver, asked the budding filmmakers not to give up on the craft of filmmaking. Watching films from different parts of the world and cultures was one of the ways to feed your passion, he adds.
"Never give up on your obsession. Keep feeding on the obsession by watching films from different parts of the world. In the 1960s, I began watching mostly American and Italian films, later I began watching French films and now we get to watch movies from different parts of he world. For instance, watching a film from China made in 1936 or 1937 has often inspired me to make movies," says Scorsese.
Watching the short films showcased at the DTFF also made Scorsese recall his early filmmaking days. He says his six-minute short film The Big Shave – which was made during his university years – gave him the rare chance to showcase a short film in a festival.
"Such chance for short films were far and between. Back in 1968 – around 41 years ago, I had a chance to make a short film for a film festival in Belgium where experimental and avant-garde films were screened. This was during the time when I had made a short film in NYU – it was about a man shaving. He starts shaving, shaving and then begins to cut himself … it was a bloody film and was called The Big Shave. It won the competition in Belgium," says Scorsese. His only gripe was that such platforms to showcase short films were a rare phenomenon during his time.
"You are incredibly lucky that you are now getting the chance to showcase short films in a festival such as this," he added.
In a hurry to catch a flight, his appearance to introduce the short film panel discussion at the Museum Of Islamic Art was met with a full house. Naturally, each of his sentences was punctuated with loud cheers from his ardent fans. Making a hasty exit, Scorsese’s departure was topped up by the screening of several one-minute short films such as The Racer; Black, White and Red and The Choice.
The discussion about the craft of short films was dissected by the iconic Egyptian director Mohammed Khan.
"I am not here to judge, but I am here to tell you how you could make these good films even better," says Khan.
The first-of-its-kind Doha Tribeca Film Festival concludes on Sunday.
