Qumra '23 screenings to present eight outstanding feature films

Qumra 2023, the Doha Film Institute (DFI)’s annual industry incubator event for emerging talent from around the world, will celebrate new voices in cinema with eight outstanding feature films. The screenings will take place from March 10 to 15 at the Museum of Islamic Art Auditorium. Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, CEO of the DFI, said: “From Qumra Master Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s award-winning film 'Memoria' to works representing our region’s rich history and complex present, Qumra Screenings provide crucial cultural and artistic context to both delegates and public audiences of independent films.”
On March 10, at 7pm, the Qumra Screenings will kick off with 'The Dam' (France, Sudan, Lebanon, Germany, Serbia, Qatar) by Lebanese visual artist and filmmaker Ali Cherri. Set in North Sudan’s Merowe dam, the film is about Maher, a seasonal worker employed in a traditional brickyard downstream. 'Under The Fig Trees' (Tunisia, Switzerland, Qatar, France) by Erige Sehiri will be screened at 9.30pm. It is about Melek and her friends who work in the field during the summer to pay for their education and help their families.
'Tug of War' (Tanzania, South Africa, Germany, Qatar) by Amil Shivji is about a runaway Indian-Zanzibari bride who forms a strong bond with a young communist in the winding alleyways of 1950s British colonial Zanzibar, leading to the escalation of love and resistance. The screening is on March 11 at 7pm, on the same night as 'Mediterranean Fever' (Palestine, France, Germany, Qatar) by Maha Haj, which will screen at 9.30pm. The film is about a 40-year-old Palestinian man from Haifa, trying to be a writer.
'Riverbed' (Lebanon, Qatar) by Emmy award-winning scriptwriter and director Bassem Breche narrates the story of Salma and her returning daughter Thuraya, and their attempt to preserve, maintain and reconstruct their lives with and against each other. The screening will be on March 12 at 7.30pm, followed by a Q&A session with the director/ talent.
The marvellous 'Faye Dayi' (Ethiopia, US, Qatar) directed by Jessica Beshir, screens on March 13 at 7.30pm. It is a spiritual journey immersed in the rituals of khat – a fantasy-inducing leaf that has become the most lucrative cash crop in Ethiopia. Qumra Master Weerasethakul’s directorial venture with David Bauduin, 'Memoria' (Colombia, Thailand, UK, Mexico, France, Germany, Qatar) will screen on March 14 at 7.30pm. The winner of the Cannes Film Festival 2021 Prix du Jury and several other global awards stars another Qumra Master, Tilda Swinton.
The final Qumra Screening, on March 15 at 7.30pm, is that of 'The Last Queen' (Algeria, France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia) directed by Damien Ounouri and Adila Bendimerad. Set in Algeria in 1516, the film charts the story of Aruj Barbarossa, who frees Algiers from the tyranny of the Spanish and seizes power over the kingdom.
Multi-award-winning British playwright, screenwriter and director 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') are this year’s Qumra Masters.
Qumra Masterclasses and Qumra Screenings are accessible to the public through purchase of the Qumra Pass. Tickets for individual Qumra Screenings can be purchased for QR35 online at www.dohafilminstitute.com.