Doha Film Festival Champions Global Storytelling with Diverse International Feature Films Competing for Top Honours

Doha, Qatar; October 12, 2025: Doha Film Festival will showcase a remarkable selection of acclaimed titles from across the world as part of its International Feature Film Competition, reflecting the festival’s commitment to cinematic excellence and cultural diversity, bringing together powerful stories that resonate across borders.

The competition brings together award-winning filmmakers whose impactful stories have inspired audiences around the world. Through their bold storytelling and artistic excellence, these creators continue to shape global cinema and spark meaningful cultural dialogue.

Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, Festival Director and CEO of Doha Film Institute, said: “At Doha Film Festival, we honour the remarkable filmmakers whose films have touched hearts, challenged perspectives, and are reshaping the global cinema landscape through courageous narratives. The films in the International Feature Film Competition share a deep commitment to authentic storytelling and reflect our shared belief in the transformative power of film. We are proud to provide a platform in Doha where powerful voices can be heard and where audiences can engage with stories that inspire reflection, empathy, and connection.”

International films in the Feature Film Competition are:

• ‘Renoir’ (Japan/France/Singapore/The Philippines/Indonesia/Qatar) by Chie Hayakawa is about a quirky and sensitive 11-year-old girl who deals with her terminally ill father and stressed-out working mother over one summer in Tokyo in 1987, while each of them thirsts for human connections.
• ‘Sleepless City’ (Spain/France/Qatar) by Guillermo García López is set in the outskirts of Madrid, where 15-year-old Tonino’s world unravels as his best friend prepares to leave, challenging his understanding of home, friendship, and the gypsy legends that shaped his childhood.

• ‘The Last Shore’ (Belgium/France/Qatar) by Jean-Francois Ravagnan delves into the tragic story of Pateh Sabally’s, a young Gambian man whose drowning in Venice’s Grand Canal in 2017 went viral on social networks, and the aftermath experienced by his family.
• ‘The Reserve’ (Mexico, Qatar) by Pablo Pérez Lombardini is about an obstinate park ranger who convinces her community to expel a group of invaders from their natural reserve, thus provoking a far greater threat.
• ‘Divine Comedy’ (Iran/Italy/France/Germany/Turkey) by Ali Asgari is about a filmmaker who embarks on an underground mission to showcase his film to an Iranian audience — dodging government censors, absurd bureaucracy and his own self-doubts.

Together, these titles offer audiences a window into distinct cultures and cinematic languages, while tackling universal themes of identity, resilience, and transformation.

Taking place from 20–28 November 2025, Doha Film Festival (DFF) represents the bold next chapter in Doha Film Institute’s mission to nurture regional talent and champion urgent and authentic stories in cinema.

The festival will transform iconic locations across Doha, including Katara Cultural Village, Msheireb Downtown Doha, and the Museum of Islamic Art, into vibrant hubs of cultural exchange, bringing together filmmakers, storytellers, and audiences from every corner of the globe, to reaffirm art’s power to inspire, to unite, and to spotlight voices that deepen our shared understanding.

Designed to reflect the diversity and ambition of the region through a wide selection of films, inspiring conversations and engaging events, DFF will provide a truly meaningful shared cultural experience in Doha. For more information, visit www.dohafilm.com.