Arab Women Filmmakers Highlight Support of Doha Film Institute in Uplifting Diverse Narratives

Doha, Qatar; November 27, 2025: Doha Film Festival (DFF), underway until November 28, hosted a thought-provoking panel titled Reframing Cinema: Diversity in the Female Gaze, which delved into the challenges and opportunities faced by women in film, and underscored Doha Film Institute’s commitment to uplifting powerful, varied narratives from script to screen.

The panellists included Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir, Libyan-Syrian director Jihan, British-Palestinian filmmaker Farah Nabulsi and Rawia AlHag from Sudan.

Farah Nabulsi, whose 2020 short film The Present was nominated for an Academy Award, said: “The female gaze isn’t an alternative to the male gaze; it expands the frame and recognises that women’s perspectives are varied and crucial to the future of cinema. Doha Film Institute and Qumra enable women to participate in cinema, and this panel is proof. We’re not just here as artists and women – we’re the outcome of these initiatives that have supported us.”

Annemarie Jacir, whose historical drama Palestine 36 tackles a critical period of time, reflected: “I’ve found that the Arab film scene is much more equal and fairer than other regions globally. There is now financial support in the Arab world for Arab cinema. I spent six years to secure financing for my 2008 film, Salt of this Sea. Today, it’s incredible.”

Rawia AlHag, director of Khartoum, a documentary that follows five people in war-torn Sudan, shed light on the specific difficulties she encountered: “My experience wasn’t easy at all because of societal limitations. But I felt we had a responsibility with this film – not only to be the voice of Sudanese women, men, or children. But Sudanese people.”

Jihan, whose documentary My Father and Qaddafi, explores her own family’s journey after the vanishing of her father, added: “There was a very conscious feminine force that I had. In the process of making the film, I went from passive to empowered. However, this film choice had nothing to do with being a woman. I wanted to honour my father, to tell his story, and I chose film as my medium to do it.”

Doha Film Festival marks the bold next chapter in Doha Film Institute’s mission to nurture regional talent and champion urgent and authentic stories in cinema. For more information, visit www.dohafilm.com.