Doha Film Institute’s Qumra 2023 celebrates country’s vibrant film ecosystem with 13 projects from Qatar

• Narrative and Documentary Features, as well as Short Films from Qatar-based talent have been selected to participate in the prestigious annual industry incubator event

Doha, Qatar; March 08, 2023: The Doha Film Institute’s annual industry incubator event, Qumra 2023, is shining a spotlight on the country’s thriving creative and film ecosystem with 13 homegrown projects by Qatari and Qatar-based filmmakers, set to receive crucial support at this year’s edition.

Qumra 2023 creates networking and development opportunities for film projects at various stages of development,  delivering on the mission to accelerate the success of emerging filmmakers from the region and beyond. Qatar has the strongest presence among the selected projects with 13 films from Qatar, including seven projects by Qatari nationals. Talents associated with these projects will take part in mentorship and networking activities in-person from March 10 to 15 and online from March 19 to 21, 2023.

Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, Chief Executive Officer of the Doha Film Institute, said: “We are proud of Qumra 2023’s vibrant slate of films directed by Qatari and Qatar-based filmmakers and look forward to showcasing the significant cultural achievements of our local industry at Qumra 2023. It is an exciting sign that the evolution of our national creative ecosystem is inspiring young creative professionals to realise their cinematic ambitions with stories that highlight our country’s exceptional diversity. We believe that sharing our stories with the world strengthens cultural understanding and bridges connection. We are proud of the creative professionals who have seized the opportunity to build competencies that resulted in this year’s exciting line-up from Qatar.”

Selected projects by Qatari and Qatar-based talent at Qumra 2023 include:

Development-Feature Narrative

• The Other Wife (Algeria, France, Qatar) (working title) by Meriem Mesraoua follows Salima, who adopts extreme measures to save the illusory refuge of her marriage and is confronted with the fragility of her long-preserved image.

Development-Feature Documentary

• The Myth of Mahmoud (Palestine, Qatar) by Mayar Hamdan is about Mahmoud Said, a Palestinian man who died at 93 years old after attempting to build a home.

Qumra Shorts

• Bel Falstini (Lebanon, Qatar) by Obada Jarbi is about Palestinian refugees in the Shatila Refugee Camp in Lebanon. It focuses on the history of its people, the burden of their hope, and how the tension created by the two affects the lives of the different generations of Palestinians living in the camp.
• 17-0: The Untold Story [Working Title] (Qatar) by Fatma Al-Ghanim is about the captain of the first-ever Qatari Women’s Football Team, who grapples with the painful hidden costs that come with being a part of the first generation of women to break through cultural taboos in pursuit of their footballing passion and dreams.
• This I Remember (Qatar, Lebanon) by Alessandra El Chanti is about a young woman who pieces together her memories of the city she was never able to call her home—Beirut.
• I Wished for Solitude (Qatar) by Hamad Alfayhani is about a man losing his face, who decides to become a recluse and has his final conversations with the people in his life.
• Missed Connections [Working Title] (Qatar) by Dhoha Abdelsattar is about a married couple repeatedly trying and failing to connect emotionally, ultimately finding themselves stuck in a cycle of quiet conflict.
• Holy Feet (USA, Egypt, Qatar) by Karim Emara is about Iman who is forced into a difficult decision to save her ailing husband—using her glamorous feet as a means to secure the funds needed for his treatment.
• Alaqiq: Darkness of Media (Qatar) by Mohammed A. Al-Suwaidi and Kummam Al Maadeed, In a city warped by social media and technology and after a brutal attack against his grandfather—Aqiq discovers he is the first in a new generation of a superhero group called “The Guardians”.
• Continuity (Working Title) (Qatar) by Nadia Al-Khater, upon starting a new editing project, a young woman discovers that she is editing her own life.
• Beauty in Solace (Qatar) by Ali Al-Hajri, when a man is faced with his own mortality, images from his past force him to understand his state of melancholy and his need to release it.
• Gihan [working title] (Egypt, Qatar) by Hadeer Omar is a performative and self-discovery journey for a jewellery designer taking control of her body and spirituality through movement and introspection while becoming an actress.
• Villa 187 (Sudan, Qatar) by Eiman Mirghani documents her family’s house—and the memories that made it a home—for over 30 years driven by the cancellation of her family’s residency in Qatar.

This year, multi-award-winning British playwright, screenwriter, and director Sir Christopher Hampton (The Father, Dangerous Liaisons, Atonement); veteran film, TV and theatre producer David Parfitt (The Father, Shakespeare in Love, My Week with Marilyn, Loving Vincent); visionary costume designer Jacqueline West (Dune, The Revenant, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button); Award-winning Scottish filmmaker Lynne Ramsay (We Need to Talk About Kevin, You Were Never Really Here, Ratcatcher); and critically acclaimed British filmmaker Michael Winterbottom (The Road to Guantanamo, A Mighty Heart, Welcome to Sarajevo) will guide the filmmakers as Qumra Masters, providing one-to-one mentoring sessions.