A total of 44 films, including feature narratives, documentaries, web series and shorts have been selected for the Doha Film Institute’s (DFI) Qumra 2023, the annual industry incubator event.
Qumra 2023 will offer networking and development opportunities for the selected projects from 23 countries. Talents associated with the selected projects will join Qumra’s innovative hybrid event, participating in mentorship and networking activities in-person from March 10 to 15 and online from March 19 to 21, 2023.
Of the 44 projects, 29 are recipients of the DFI's Grants programme, and five supported through the Qatari Film Fund. A total 24 projects have participated in DFI Training Programmes (Hezayah Scriptwriting lab, Producers Lab, Shorts Script Lab, Doc Lab with Rithy Panh, Series Lab and First Cut Lab). In all, eight feature projects are in development, five in production and 13 in post-production, seven in Qumra Series, and 11 are in Qumra Shorts.
Qumra 2023 features 13 projects by Qatar-based talent, including seven by Qatari nationals. Highlighting the evolution of series, Qumra 2023 will nurture seven series projects by emerging talent.
Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, CEO of DFI said the projects being nurtured at Qumra 2023 have been selected from a diverse pool of films from across the world supported by the Institute.
Projects in development participate in group and individual sessions with Qumra Masters and industry mentors in script consulting, legal, sales, marketing and co-production advice, along with individual matchmaking sessions for projects in post-production, which are presented in a series of closed rough-cut screenings to leading festival programmers, broadcasters, market representatives, sales agents and distributors.
Film projects at Qumra 2023 come from varied geographies, from Algeria to Indonesia and Mexico to Mongolia.
Multi-award-winning British playwright, screenwriter, and director Sir 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) will guide the filmmakers as Qumra Masters, providing one-to-one mentoring sessions.
2023 Qumra Projects: Development- Feature Narrative - Perfumed with Mint (Egypt, France, Qatar, Brazil) by Emmy Award-winning cinematographer Muhammed Hamdy. The Other Wife (France, Qatar, Algeria) by Meriem Mesraoua. El Bastardiya - Once Upon A Time In Tripoli (Libya, Egypt, France, Qatar) by Abdullah al-Ghaly. Weedestine (Palestine, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia) by Said Zagha.
In-Production- Feature Narrative: Thank You for Banking with Us! (Germany, Palestine, Qatar) by Laila Abbas. Sink (Jordan, France, Sweden, Qatar) by Zain Duraie. The Station (Yemen, Jordan, France, The Netherlands, Qatar) by Sara Ishaq.
Post-Production - Feature Narrative: Brief History of a Family (China, Denmark, France, Qatar) by Jianjie Lin.
If Only I Could Hibernate (Mongolia, France, Switzerland, Qatar) by Zoljargal Purevdash. Hounds (France, Morocco, Belgium, Qatar) by Kamal Lazraq. Tiger Stripes (Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Indonesia, Qatar) directed by Amanda Nell Eu. Backstage (Morocco, Tunisia, Belgium, France) by Afef Ben Mahmoud and Khalil Benkirane. Dead Dog (Lebanon, France, Qatar) by Sarah Francis. Motherhood (Tunisia, France, Canada, Qatar) by Meryam Joobeur.
Development - Feature Documentary: Souraya Mon Amour (Lebanon, Qatar) by Nicolas Khoury. The Woman I Never Called Mum (Algeria, France, Qatar) by Sabrina Adiri Chemloul. Fouledh (Tunisia, France, Luxembourg, Qatar) by Mehdi Hmili and Abdallah Chamekh. The Myth of Mahmoud (Palestine, US, Qatar) by Mayar Hamdan.
In-Production- Feature Documentary: West of May (Lebanon, France, Qatar) by Sarah Srage. Women of My Life (Iraq, Sweden, Qatar) by Zahraa Ghandour.
Post-Production - Feature Documentary: Bye Bye Tiberias (France, Palestine, Belgium, Qatar) by Lina Soualem.
Machtat (Tunisia, Lebanon, France, Qatar) by Sonia Ben Slama. After the Bridge (Italy, Qatar) directed by Marzia Toscano. Monisme (Indonesia, Qatar) by Riar Rizaldi. River of Toads (Mexico, Qatar) by Juan Carlos Núñez Chavarría. The Forgotten (Palestine, Qatar, UAE) by Ghada Terawi.
Qumra Series: Land of Nairi (Armenia) by Ovsanna Gevorgyan. Miara (Morocco, Qatar) by Talal Selhami and Jawad Lahlou. Nguya (DRC, Belgium) by Michiel Robberecht and Precy Numbi. Status Quo (Lebanon, Qatar, Spain, US) by Gilbert Karam and Hiba Louis. From the Mountain (Syria, Jordan) by Faisal Attrache. The House that my Mother Built (Sudan) by Alyaa Musa. Let The Earth Burn (France, Qatar) by Sofia Alaoui.
Qumra Shorts: Bel Falstini (Lebanon, Qatar) by Obada Jarbi. 17-0: The Untold Story (Qatar) by Fatma al-Ghanim. This I Remember (Qatar, Lebanon) by Alessandra El Chanti. I Wished for Solitude (Qatar) by Hamad Alfayhani. Missed Connections (Qatar) by Dhoha Abdelsattar. Holy Feet (US, Egypt, Qatar) by Karim Emara.
Alaqiq: Darkness of Media (Qatar) by Mohammed A al-Suwaidi and Kummam al-Maadeed. Continuity (Qatar) by Nadia al-Khater. Beauty in Solace (Qatar) by Ali al-Hajri. Gihan (Egypt, Qatar) by Hadeer Omar. Villa 187 (Sudan, Qatar) by Eiman Mirghani.
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