The 10th edition of Qumra, the Doha Film Institute’s (DFI) annual talent incubator for Arab and international cinema, represents the vibrant film ecosystem in Qatar, with 13 homegrown projects chosen for mentoring and support.
The 13 local projects include 11 by Qatari nationals with others by those who call Qatar home. Over 40 projects including feature narratives, documentaries, shorts and series by first- and second-time filmmakers from 20 countries will take part in mentorship and networking activities in-person from March 1 to 6 and online from March 9 to 11, 2024. They will receive invaluable guidance from this year’s luminaries in world cinema – Qumra Masters Toni Colette, Leos Carax, Claire Denis, Atom Egoyan, Martín Hernández, and Jim Sheridan.
Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, Chief Executive Officer of the Doha Film Institute, said: “We take great pride in the projects from Qatar participating at Qumra each year. Their selection is a strong representation of the vibrant creative ecosystem that the nation has fostered and a testament to the success of the Institute’s commitment to supporting filmmakers through every step of their creative journey. Many of the talents are graduates of our year-round workshops or were supported by the Qatari Film Fund or DFI’s Grants. We are confident that their unique and highly individual voices, shaped by the cultural and social influences of Qatar, will translate into cinema that captures the attention of the world.”
The selected projects by Qatari and Qatar-based talent at Qumra 2024 include:
Development – Feature Narrative
Work in Progress- Feature Documentary
Qumra Shorts
Qumra Series
Over 200 industry experts will also advise projects on storytelling, filmmaking, directing, editing, cinematography and sound, focusing on the specific needs of each project. The 40 plus Qumra 2024 projects include 13 feature narratives, 11 documentaries, 11 shorts and 7 web/TV series in various stages of production. Among these, 11 are helmed by Qatari or Qatar-based directors, including 7 by nationals.
Of the selected projects, 32 are recipients of Doha Film Institute’s Grants programme and 3 are supported by the Qatari Film Fund, underlining the Institute’s crucial commitment to support the entire journey of filmmaking. Of the chosen projects, 15 have also participated in DFI Training Programmes such as the Hezayah Scriptwriting Lab, Producers Lab, Shorts Script Lab, Doc Lab with Rithy Panh, Series Lab, and First Cut Lab.