The head of Doha Film Institute, Fatma Al Remaihi, has announced upcoming plans for a brand-new film festival set to debut in the Qatari capital city, with more information to be shared during Cannes.
Information emerged last November at the Ajyal Youth Festival that the DFI was contemplating organizing a fresh film event. During the festival’s opening ceremony, Al Remaihi hinted at this, but she has not discussed it further since then.
The upcoming DFI event is scheduled for the traditional November slot of Ajyal, a period that’s particularly bustling on the Arab film festival calendar, as it falls between El Gouna (Egypt) in October, Marrakech (Morocco) in late November, and the Red Sea Film Festival (Saudi Arabia) in December.
Al Remaihi expressed her enthusiasm about the upcoming event to EbMaster, stating, ‘We have some fresh features planned for our festival this time around.’ She went on to mention that there would be innovative aspects tailored for industry professionals, filmmakers, and general spectators alike. Moreover, she hinted that more specifics regarding these updates will be revealed on the Croisette.
Ajyal, which has become a year-round program, will be partly incorporated into the new event.
The reason for this change, as stated by Al Remaihi, is that the DFI is marking its 15th anniversary this year. To commemorate this milestone, they are introducing a new film festival, which represents a natural progression in the development of their organization. This organization is well-known for managing significant film grants and workshops, and consistently produces films that are chosen by major festivals. Consequently, it has emerged as a key driver within the MENA region’s film industry.
Al Remaihi held a conversation with EbMaster during the ongoing Qumra event, which is an incubator and co-production market aimed at nurturing initial and subsequent works, primarily by Arab film directors. This year marks its 11th edition, and the mentors for this year are Johnnie To, Walter Salles, and Darius Khondji.
Qumra was born as a response from the DFI after the shutdown of the Tribeca Doha Film Festival, which took place between 2009 and 2012.
The upcoming festival marks a transformation for DFI, becoming increasingly relevant not just for Doha’s industry, but also for the MENA region as a whole. We are thrilled about this evolution! We can’t wait to reveal it because there seems to be much anticipation and curiosity among many people.
There’s a lot of discussion among potential attendees regarding two main aspects of the upcoming DFI festival at Qumra: Will there be a sector focused on industry, and will Qumra itself become part of the new festival?
She stated that there’s no intention to alter anything in Qumra at this time. She emphasized the importance of keeping it as it is. Moreover, she mentioned that all their actions are interconnected within an ecosystem and tied to the DFI (Doha Film Institute). Al Remaihi also hinted that the upcoming DFI event will incorporate some industry-related elements, although the specifics remain undisclosed.
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2025-04-09 11:50