The AFC Asian Cup 2023 opening ceremony in Doha’s Lusail Stadium wins ‘Outstanding Production of the Year’ at the TPiMEA Awards.
The AFC Asian Cup 2023 opening ceremony, which took place in Doha’s Lusail Stadium, has won a TPiMEA Award for ‘Outstanding Production of the Year.’
The announcement was made during the TPiMEA award show at Dubai’s Hard Rock Cafe.
A cut above the rest, the opening ceremony beat the likes of pop sensation Ed Sheeran and his + − = ÷ x tour, as well as the Mdlbeast Soundstorm 2023 event.
Ahead of the clash between hosts Qatar and underdogs Lebanon, spectators were wowed at the Lusail Stadium with an array of performances. This included the live version of ‘The Lost Chapter of Kelileh & Demneh,’ which was produced by Qatar’s Katara Studios.
Katara Studios’ rendition of the classic fable of peaceful coexistence follows the journey of anthropomorphic animals native to the desert, such as falcons and oryxes, and beyond, and a “a mystery that may take ages and generations to unravel.”
Qatar’s Dana Al Meer, who played the role of the Oryx, also belted a captivating take on Fairouz’s ‘Rose of All Cities.’ An ode to Palestine, the lyrics read in part, “For your sake, oh city of peace, I pray… Oh, rose of all cities, oh, Al Quds (Jerusalem). Oh, city of prayer, I’m praying for you.”
Amplifying the voice of Palestinians took centre stage of the event. At the time of the event and till now, Gaza’s innocent have been experiencing non-stop bombardment from Israel’s army. The occupier’s brutal campaign has killed 34,683 people and injured 78,018 more, the Gaza Ministry of Health reports.
Ordinarily, the host nation’s captain announces the championship’s oath at the opening ceremony. However, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with his Palestinian counterpart, Qatar’s Hassan Al Haydos passed the microphone to Musab Al Battat – giving him the honour instead.
Taking to Instagram to express his gratitude, Ahmed Al Baker, Katara Studios’ CEO, said “Thanks to God and the efforts of everyone involved in this project, we won.”
In a separate post in January, Al Baker said that working on ‘Kelileh & Demneh’ was among one of the most enjoyable projects that he produced. He added that the entirety of the project was filmed in Qatar with the assistance of Qatari and local staff.
