00:00The court became like my sanctuary, where I know I can go in here and just for two, three hours, nobody's going to bother me, no phones, no, you know, if I want to be here by myself, I'm going to be here by myself.
00:15I think it's very important for me to tell stories, especially as a Qadari filmmaker, and I want to tell stories about people from my culture.
00:22Hello and welcome to Cut to 365 with me, Adil Halim.
00:30This episode is about education and how learning doesn't always happen in the classroom.
00:35I sat down with ten-time NBA all-star and three-time Olympic gold medalist Carmelo Anthony to find out what lessons he's hoping to share in his new role as FIBA Global Ambassador.
00:44Then we stop by Qumra, the Doha Film Institute's talent incubator, to understand the importance of masterclasses for aspiring filmmakers.
00:53But first, Laila Humaira is off to the races to take a different kind of spin on the track in search of the fastest energy-efficient vehicle.
01:02Zubaida Al-Tamimi is all suited up and ready to race.
01:06A sophomore at the University of Doha for Science and Technology, Zubaida is the driver and team leader of Wolves Racing EV1,
01:15one of a few dozen teams competing in the Shell Eco-Marathon for Asia-Pacific and Middle East.
01:22We had to build a motor controller by our own.
01:25Some people take years of experience to build that motor controller.
01:29For us, only four months with a couple of research, with the doctor's help, we were able to do it.
01:34So we were like running the furthest with less amount of energy.
01:38She's the only one who has competed in the event before, representing her school and country in Indonesia for last year's edition.
01:46And coming back this time, it was extra special, racing on home turf.
01:51While the Lusail International Circuit is more familiar with the thrilling speeds of Formula 1 cars,
01:56this time the track is hosting the first ever edition of the Shell Eco-Marathon held in the Middle East.
02:02They may not go as fast, but these cars are designed and built from scratch.
02:07The aim is to clock the fastest time with the most energy-efficient vehicle.
02:11And that process is so rigorous that for many of the teams competing, getting the car on the track is a win on its own.
02:19Celebrating the 40th anniversary of Shell Eco-Marathon means it's four decades of giving the changemakers of tomorrow
02:26an opportunity to build the world's most energy-efficient cars and to further their STEM education.
02:32And for the students, it is a constant way of learning.
02:36They apply their knowledge, their ingenuity, their creativity to an amazing project that is part of their curriculum.
02:42As a team, the aspiring engineers decide between two main vehicle models to build,
02:48giving them plenty of opportunities to innovate and be creative.
02:52So in Shell Eco-Marathon, if you want to participate, you have to pick a category.
02:57That could be Urban Concept, which is a vehicle that looks like a small city car.
03:01So it has four wheels, it has lights, blinkers, even a windscreen.
03:07The other category is called prototype.
03:09And the vehicles that belong to this category are like a small mini rocket.
03:15They normally have three wheels.
03:17They're extremely light.
03:18And these vehicles are those that are really going for the world record.
03:21Not only is the competition robust,
03:24the technical scrutiny each car or prototype goes through
03:27is strict and conducted in line with industry-wide standards.
03:31Technical inspection is probably the heart of the competition before the vehicles go on track.
03:37We do check the length and the size of the car.
03:40We do check its weight and if it has enough visibility,
03:44if it has a horn so that the students can advise other competitors on track that they are overtaking.
03:51Beyond the racing and mechanics,
03:52Shell Eco-Marathon also aims to foster camaraderie and friendship
03:56between young engineers from all over the world,
04:00further bolstering international collaboration and exchanging ideas.
04:04Win or lose,
04:06everyone stands a chance to gain a memorable experience from the Shell Eco-Marathon,
04:11just like I did,
04:12taking a spin in a vehicle of a previous competition winner around the Lucille International Circuit.
04:19Carmelo Anthony is a ten-time NBA All-Star and three-time Olympic gold medalist
04:25and will enter the Hall of Fame this year, the Holy Grail of basketball elites.
04:30During his 19-year career, Carmelo is one of the most prolific scorers of his generation
04:34and currently ranks 10th all-time in NBA scoring.
04:37In his new role as FIBA's Global Ambassador, Carmelo hopes to grow the game internationally.
04:42And with two years left until Qatar hosts the 2027 Basketball World Cup,
04:46the Hall of Famer arrived in Doha to kick off the festivities.
04:49Respect.
04:49Mello, welcome to Doha.
04:50Nice to meet you.
04:51From Hoodie Mello to Hall of Fame Mello, your name is now cemented in history alongside the
05:05greats like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
05:07These are international names that people know and now people know Mello.
05:11You're in that stratosphere.
05:13I think those names that you just mentioned were guys that took advantage of the opportunity
05:21to go international, go global.
05:26Michael did it, you know, kind of 92, kind of established, you know, what the USA basketball
05:33on the world stage.
05:35And somebody like Kobe was somebody who constantly went overseas, traveled overseas, built his
05:41international community, his fan base, you know, they left the door open for somebody
05:47else and I took it, took the opportunity.
05:50Now the world saw Mello in a thobe.
05:51Yeah, yeah, big time.
05:53But that's organic.
05:54That's, they understand, you know, what that means to me and it's an opportunity for me to
06:00continue to spread and, you know, get my global game on.
06:05What can fans expect from what's to come in 2027 here in Qatar?
06:08Yeah, I think the fans are going to see it.
06:10I think they, you know, they want to know what's, what it is.
06:13I think Qatar would do a job of delivering an experience that people haven't had in a
06:18long time and for me to be a part of that and showing the rest of the world and even
06:23showing, you know, back where we had in America that it's not just about America, you know,
06:29it's other places, other regions around the world who's actually taking the seeds that,
06:35you know, the Americans planted and growing them globally now.
06:38So we're, we're seeing those, those seeds blossom now.
06:42Now we all know Hall of Fame Carmelo Anthony, but Young Mello's journey was anything but easy.
06:46Mm-hmm.
06:47You know, take us back to the early days in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and then eventually Baltimore.
06:52So it was very, it was very difficult, kind of navigating those walls and navigating that
06:58world.
06:59I'll take my hat off to my mom for, you know, it was always, we're going to be all right.
07:04We're going to be okay.
07:05We're going to figure it out.
07:06And she always did.
07:07So that, you know, those morals and standards that was instilled to me at an early age,
07:12they were never going to work.
07:13So when you come out of that, you have a different understanding of what it means to go through
07:18or live in situations like that, or go through daily occurrences.
07:22So that part of my life has really jump started and made me understand why I'm here today.
07:28You recently gave a commencement speech at Syracuse where you won a national championship.
07:32Your son is going to go in the fall.
07:34Just take us through what you wanted to relate to that class.
07:37I've been here before.
07:39I walked in those shoes, but it's your time now because now you are going on to whatever
07:45is next.
07:46Right.
07:47And you're not going to have it figured out.
07:48You're not going to understand it.
07:49You're not going to know it, but don't let nobody keep you in the box.
07:52Don't just, you know, get stuck on one experience, go through the journey, and you're still young.
07:59Right.
08:00So don't, don't, don't, don't box yourself in at 20 years old, 21 years old, because you
08:05will have multiple paths and multiple kinds of experiences in life.
08:12The FIBA Basketball World Cup is an exciting event for us to look forward to, but now let's
08:16head to the Doha Film Institute's flagship talent incubator.
08:21Qumra brings together more than 250 film industry professionals from over 50 countries to mentor
08:26emerging filmmakers, making it the largest and most diverse gathering to date.
08:31I went to check it out.
08:34Jamal Alkanji is producing his first feature-length documentary.
08:38But the first time Qatari filmmaker is no stranger to high-pressure situations.
08:43As a cardiac surgeon for more than a decade, he's used to calling the shots.
08:48Still, participating in the Doha Film Institute's Qumra mentorship program has been invaluable.
08:53It's been amazing.
08:54I mean, I wouldn't have dreamed to be where I am today if it was not for Doha Film Institute.
08:59They've been supportive.
09:00They nourished us.
09:01They loved the idea from the beginning.
09:02They supported it financially and with expertise.
09:05This year's edition of Qumra features 27 feature-length films, 10 series, and 12 short films at different
09:12stages of development, production, and post-production.
09:15Jamal's film about spearfishing is a passion project, currently in early post-production.
09:21It's a wonderful opportunity, really, for me as a Qatari director because I think these
09:26platforms give us the opportunity to basically tell our stories and to show that this region
09:32can produce different stories as well away from the kind of stereotypical kind of stories
09:36that are associated from the region.
09:38The Film Institute's CEO agrees and says Qumra has given emerging regional filmmakers the
09:43confidence to tell their stories to the world.
09:46A safe space where they can come, share their projects, share their thoughts and stories
09:52with industry literally from all over the globe, where they can be discovered, where they
09:57can be supported in different stages of their films.
10:01From the global south to the global stage, Qumra builds on the Doha Film Institute's commitment
10:06to supporting underrepresented storytellers, especially from Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
10:12Of the 49 selected projects, 16 are from Qatar, which the DFI says showcases the growth in
10:19the country's film industry.
10:21That growth is assisted by international film industry experts.
10:25Hong Kong filmmaking legend, Johnny Toh, who didn't go to film school himself, came to
10:30Doha to deliver a masterclass.
10:32I always tell the young people, you have to finish your script first.
10:37I cannot tell you what is the good way to like me.
10:42I only tell you go the normal way.
10:44I have a very long experience to shooting on set many, many years.
10:51You can change it when you shoot, but you must very sure what are you talking about.
10:58The goal of the talent incubator is to help develop new voices in Arab and global cinema.
11:04Qatari filmmaker Maryam Al-Muhammad hopes to spark conversations by amplifying underrepresented voices.
11:11The 20 year old received a DFI production grant and says events like Qumra really open doors
11:17for filmmakers like herself.
11:19A lot of people come from around the world and very, very important people.
11:23So it's one of the only events where you can really interact with these people face-to-face, one-on-one.
11:30And we've been getting a lot of knowledge and experience.
11:34From aspiring engineers to emerging filmmakers, with a basketball hall of famer sharing some gems along the way,
11:44we hope you enjoyed this episode.
11:46But that's all the time we have for now.
11:48For more, check out Euronews.com and connect with us through our hashtag.
11:51Thanks for watching, and we'll see you next time on Qatar 365.
