Six films made with support from Doha Film Institute (DFI) will be screened at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), starting tomorrow. Three of the films are making their world premiere during the 11-day event.

The films include Naji Abu Nowar’s Theeb and Ghassan Salhab’s The Valley, both recipients of funding from DFI’s  grants programme, grant recipient Timbuktu by Abderrahmane Sissako, co-financed project The Narrow Frame of Midnight by Tala Hadid and Eye & Mermaid, a short film directed by Shahad Ameen, made through the institute’s Hazawi Short Film Production Fund.

Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet, also co-financed by the institute will have its world premiere as a TIFF special presentation following its work-in-progress preview screening at the Cannes Film Festival. The innovative adaptation of the beloved classic features the work of eight renowned animators, among them Gulf talent Mohamed Saeed Harib, creator of the acclaimed animated series Freej, who directs the chapter On Good and Evil.

Fatma al-Remaihi, acting CEO of DFI, said: “We are honoured to have played a part in bringing these wonderful projects to life and wish the filmmakers all the best on their festival journeys. TIFF has a notable history of excellent programming of films from the Arab world and this year’s selection is no exception. I am delighted to see these projects among the strong representation of voices from our region.”

Making its world premiere in TIFF’s Discovery section is The Narrow Frame of Midnight - the debut feature-length fiction film by acclaimed Moroccan-Iraqi filmmaker and visual artist Hadid. Against the backdrop of the Atlas Mountains, in a country torn apart by injustice, the film paints a story of interconnected destiny, redemption and hope as three people struggle to define their futures in a cruel and uncertain world.

Abu Nowar’s Theeb also screens in the Discovery section after its world premiere in the Orizzonti Competition at the Venice Film Festival. The Valley, which makes its world premiere in the Contemporary World Cinema selection, is the fifth feature film by Lebanese director Salhab, whose highly acclaimed previous film The Mountain was screened at TIFF in 2011.

Sissako’s Timbuktu screens in the Masters section, marking its North American premiere after it garnered widespread critical acclaim at its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

The newly minted Short Cuts International programme includes Eye & Mermaid by Saudi director Shahad Ameen. The film was made in Qatar through the institute’s Hazawi Short Film Production Fund, an educational initiative that supports emerging filmmakers in the Gulf region.