Doha Film Festival 2025 Unveils International Feature Competition Lineup

Doha-Qatar; 11 November 2025: The Doha Film Festival announced the complete lineup for the International Feature Film Competition, presenting 13 world cinema titles that span five continents and explore urgent contemporary themes from ecological crisis to war displacement.

The section reflects the festival’s commitment to supporting bold, diverse voices in world cinema, with particular emphasis on stories from underrepresented regions.

Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, CEO of DFI, said, “Doha Film Festival is honoured to amplify a diverse range of voices that will inspire change around the world through our International Features Competition programme. These powerful artistic expressions represent the creativity and resilience of humanity and demonstrate the capability of film to shape the future of our societies.  Through these stories that engage empathy, reflection and connection, we are creating safe spaces for meaningful dialogue to counter prevailing narratives.”

Khartoum (Sudan/UK/Germany/Qatar) by filmmakers Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy Ahmad, Timeea Mohamed Ahmed and Philip Cox documents the survival and quest for freedom through the dreams of five Khartoum residents displaced by the war.

Cotton Queen (Sudan/Germany/France/Palestine/Egypt/Qatar) by Qatar-based director Suzannah Mirghani follows teenage Nafisa who becomes the centre of a power struggle over genetically modified seeds to determine the future of her village, blending ecological critique with coming-of-age drama.

Once Upon a Time in Gaza (Palestine/France/Germany/Portugal/Qatar) by Tarzan & Arab Nasser is set in Gaza in 2007 and follows a young student, a charismatic dealer, and a corrupt cop. A story of violence, revenge and inevitable tragedy.

With Hassan in Gaza (Germany/Palestine/France/Qatar) by Kamal Aljafari is a cinematic reflection on memory, loss, and the passage of time, capturing a Gaza of the past and lives that may never be found again.

The President’s Cake (Iraq/USA/Qatar) by Hasan Hadi narrates the story of nine-year-old Lamia, who must use her wits to gather ingredients for the mandatory cake to celebrate President Saddam Hussein’s birthday.

My Father and Qaddafi (Libya/Lebanon/Qatar) by Jihan K chronicles a daughter’s quest to uncover the truth behind the disappearance of her father, a peaceful opposition leader to Qaddafi, as she pieces together her mother’s 19-year search for him.

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, each of them thirsting for human connection.

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, 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 dodging bureaucracy and his own self-doubts.

Hair, Paper, Water (Belgium/France/Vietnam) is a poetic documentary by Truong Minh Quý and Nicolas Graux, following an elderly Ruc woman in a Vietnamese village as she passes on her endangered language, tending to her family, and holding onto memories of her cave home.

Blue Heron (Canada/Hungary) directed by Sophy Romvari is about a Hungarian immigrant family’s move to Vancouver Island in the late 1990s, focusing on the younger daughter’s perspective as her older brother’s dangerous behaviour disrupts their new life.

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.

Key Partners of Doha Film Festival include Katara, Media City Qatar I Film Committee and Visit Qatar. 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.