Ahead of Earth Day on April 22, the Doha Film Institute and Kahramaa are hosting a competition for short films about conservation in Qatar.

All residents are invited to participate in the challenge, with submissions closing on April 14. Prizes have not yet been announced.

Qatar has been putting a renewed emphasis on water and energy conservation in recent years, due to the excessive consumption of each of these resources here.

Kahrama’s Tarsheed campaign has been tasked with reducing electricity usage by 20 percent and water consumption by 35 percent over the next few years.

Despite a dip in electricity usage per capita last year, the overall demand for energy is growing due to the expanding population.

Usage

Meanwhile, Qatar residents use an average of 500 liters of water every day, making the country one of the world’s biggest water consumers – four times as much as many European countries, and 10 times more than many others.

The country has a longstanding Conservation Law (No. 26 of 2008), in which residents can be warned or fined for leaving their outside lights on between 7 am to 4 pm, or for using a hose to wash a car or water a garden with potable water.

But it’s not clear whether penalties for violating the laws have ever been handed out.

To partake in the Tarsheed Short Filmmaking Competition, residents should keep films short (one to three minutes), focus on the theme of electricity and water conservation, and edit their work with their own equipment, whether by phone, camera or computer.

Entries can submitted online here or at the DFI offices at Katara Cultural Village.

Thoughts?