De Niro: one minute man

If you were to find a film equivalent of Robert De Niro's appearance at the closing night of the Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF), it would be best to compare it to one of the one-minute short features he'd introduced.

A man of few words, the Oscar winner and one of the chief architects of the festival keeps his thoughts to himself and speaks only after being prodded (read: cornered).

It's endearing to watch him pass the microphone at every given opportunity and place the onus of setting the ball rolling on the charming Amanda Palmer, Executive Producer of DTFF.

In any one-minute short film, the climax is poignant, and so De Niro opens up a bit when he doles out tips to filmmakers at a panel discussion earlier on Sunday. "You only have your individuality — you have to keep that. As the process of filmmaking becomes more expensive, more creativity is stripped away. So you have to really believe in it — do something original and something that could only come from you," De Niro says.

The famously tight-lipped star, who made his mark playing a mafia don in The Godfather: Part II and the raging misfit Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, urged the budding filmmakers to hold on to their convictions. "Courage in your conviction is essential and it should direct you. You should know your subject well and always follow your instinct."

Though Geoff Gilmore, the CEO of Tribeca Enterprises, attempts to draw De Niro into a conversation about his favourite one-minute film — the reticent actor is in no mood to comply.

"I can't pick one or the other. It depends... I mean the one with the guy who meets with an accident and looks at his diploma in the hospital is a morality tale... It depends. I guess, if you did these little exercises then you are likely to come up with some interesting material."

The actor says he had watched the block of one-minute short films made by nine Qataris as a part of their summer DTFF workshop prior to his first public appearance in Doha. Asked if those films had a tinge of American influence, a visibly befuddled De Niro shrugs.

"That is a difficult question to answer. I am not capable of answering that. The fact is you have to look if the audience laughs at a certain section or is affected by it. When I watched the films alone, it felt different — not that I did not have a reaction. A group experience changes everything.

"I don't know how to answer this. I mean, a minute is a minute. It's over before you know it. We are spending more time talking about it."

De Niro's second appearance — to present awards to three filmmakers — requires him to talk even less. Presenting the Audience Choice Awards for the Best Film, Best Arab Film and the Best Short Film, he expresses his pride at the resounding success of his collaboration with Doha.

"I cannot express how proud I am. This is only the first year and based on the past four days, the future looks bright. It's great to be here."

The $50,000 (Dh183,650) award for the best film went to Team Qatar — a documentary trailing the trials and triumphs of the first Qatari national debating team competing for the World Debating Championships in the US.

The other coveted award, for Best Film, went to Palestinian filmmaker Najwa Najjar for Pomegranates and Myrrh. The film, shot in Palestinian territories, is about a love triangle set against the backdrop of occupation.

"Being a Palestinian, winning the award in Qatar means so much. I hope to see you all now in a free Palestine," Najjar says.

The award for the Best One Minute Feature went to The Racer which focuses on reckless driving. Says Qatari director Sophia Al Maria: "Now I know the feeling of making a one-minute film. The Doha Tribeca Film Festival has given me an opening and I hope to make more films in the future."

The awards ceremony came to a close with De Niro posing with the winners of the night. A few minutes later, he was whisked away in a BMW.

In short, De Niro's brief appearance is unlikely to win any award in the one-minute film category.

Tete-a-tete with Ben Kingsley:

The closing night was a sharp contrast to the opening night which saw a galaxy of filmmakers tread the red carpet. A sedate affair, it's safe to deduct that Robert De Niro was the hero of the night. A clutch of actors including Sir Ben Kingsley and Arabic actor Adel Imam were spotted briefly at the VIP arena. tabloid! caught up with Kingsley:

How has your DTFF experience been?

It was an exciting one. I am sure this festival will have very firm roots and will attract all kinds of filmmakers, ideas and projects. I think Doha and Tribeca will produce a wonderful baby.

Any recommendations?

They should seriously consider setting up a film commission and fully equipped studio so that larger-than-life productions can be made right here in Doha.

Did you manage to catch any movies?

Not yet. I saw a bit of Mira Nair's Amelia, but I am hoping to open my account with Cairo Time.

What's next?

I will be travelling to Seville, Goa and Abu Dhabi to meet investors for the five films that I will be producing and directing. I can't talk about it now but I will be making a few announcements soon.