Movies, pearls and Doha at night

 Last night we went to a screening of a movie called "Taste of Cherry" a film that was immediately banned in Iran after it's release (1997) because of it's subject matter: suicide. The premise of the film is this: a man driving is driving through rural Iran trying to  find someone who will help him kill himself. He offers a large sum of money but cannot find someone who will help him (suicide goes against the teachings of the Koran). It all sounds very depressing but, in fact, the movie is not at all because the villages the man drives through, the people he meets are so full of life, the movie isn't sad at all. In fact it's beautiful and even funny at times: the man is offered an omelette but says he can't have eggs because they're bad for him. I had seen the movie many years ago in university and was so excited to learn that it was playing in Doha and that the director would make an appearance!

 

Speaking through a translator in Farsi the director, Abbas Kiarostami, told the audience that the film is not actually a film about suicide, but a film about life. He said the film is a celebration of life and while I was watching the film, I could see why. It's full of little moments that make life beautiful: at one moment a couple asks the man, stopped on the side of the road, to take their picture. At another, he passes a group of children pretending to drive an abandoned car. It really is an amazing film and I would encourage anyone to get out of their normal movie-viewing comfort zone and see it (its subtitled). The Doha Film Institute is playing all of Kiarostami's films this week as part of a special retrospective. Hopefully we get to see a few more.

Earlier in the day we went on a city tour of Doha with members of the U of C faculty. One of our stops was this amazing place called "The Pearl." It's a man-made area that extends from the city's shoreline and includes luxury hotels and condominiums. You really have to admire the Qataris for viewing the natural shoreline, not as a barrier, but an opportunity. These projects seem to be popular in this region of the world. Speaking of which, Dubai had a similar project, "The World," a bunch of  islands in the shape of the world that sits 1.5 miles from the mainland.  Unfortunately many of its investors saw their assets collapse with the financial crisis and now many of the man-made islands are falling back into the sea.

The Pearl

Not so with The Pearl, in Doha, which is very much inhabited although some buildings are still being built. I've heard this is the only place in Qatar where ex-pats can purchase property. I tried to find out what apartments are going for, but in typical Qatari fashion, the prices are never listed. Speaking of pearls, Qatar is known for its pearls. If you want to see if a pearl is real, rub it on your teeth and if it feels gritty, almost like rubbing chalk on your tooth, then it's real. If it feels smooth, it's fake.

In the centre of The Pearl is a huge harbour with yachts and a promenade full of restaurants, cafes and stores. It's apparently quite lovely.

This is what most of the buildings look like on The Pearl.

These two buildings, not on The Pearl, are called the Zig-zag towers.  

This is a hotel located in an area of Doha called Aspire Park. That little white shape you see waaaaay up there? That's a swimming pool!

Diana and Carina, another faculty member here. 

The Museum of Islamic Arts, where we saw Taste of Cherry last night

Taken from a taxi