'Amelia' to open Qatar film fest

DOHA, Qatar, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Mira Nair's "Amelia" is set to open the inaugural Doha Tribeca Film Festival in Qatar, organizers announced Tuesday.

The movie about iconic aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart stars two-time Academy Award-winner Hilary Swank and Golden Globe-winner Richard Gere.

Twelve of the other 32 films on the festival's slate have roots in the Middle East. Offering a diverse selection of titles from the international festival circuit, by both emerging and established directors, the Doha festival is to run from Oct. 29 to Nov. 1.

Festival activities will be headquartered at the I.M. Pei-designed Museum of Islamic Art, organizers said.

Open-air screenings are to take place around the city and will include a showing of the 1969 Egyptian film, "The Mummy (Al-Momia)."

Also slated to screen at the festival are "Cairo Time," starring Patricia Clarkson; "A Serious Man," the latest from fraternal filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen; and "The Informant!" directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Matt Damon.

"We've programmed this slate with the local audience at the forefront of our minds. We are creating an exciting and varied film festival experience by bringing some of the best Arab and international films to Doha," Amanda Palmer, executive director of DTFF, said in a statement.