Since 2004, the Uganda-based Maisha filmmaker program has taught East Africans the

Since 2004, the Uganda-based Maisha filmmaker program has taught East Africans the art of filmmaking and this year DFI began a collaboration to send Qataris to director Mira Nair’s self-proclaimed “bootcamp” filmmaker labs. Today, we screened some of these short films, including the one that won best screenplay at the Maisha workshop – Niam Etany’s “super, full”. We also hosted an insightful discussion on cooperation between directors and their producers, writers and cinematographers, using Nair’s films “The Namesake,” “Monsoon Wedding” and “Salaam Bombay!” as examples.

This “sideview” panel discussion featuring Mira Nair offers audiences a rare opportunity to engage with filmmakers through an informal dialogue about work and process.