Launching in April.. 11th edition of Doha Film Institutes Qumra to host over 250 global film industry professionals

- Doha Film Institute (DFI) announced that the 11th edition of Qumra, the annual talent incubator for Arab and international cinema, will welcome over 250 film industry professionals representing all aspects of the entire life cycle of film production and exhibition to mentor emerging talent and provide creative feedback and business advice to take their films to the next level of success.
This years mentorship for Qumra filmmakers will extend beyond in-person meetings from April 4 to 9 to include online sessions from April 12 to 14, further expanding access to the invaluable guidance of industry experts that will support the success of their projects.
The event will be attended by many of the acclaimed film directors, producers, film festival and market representatives, programmers, consultants, fund managers, sales professionals, acquisition heads, script experts, distributors, video on demand (VoD) platforms and broadcasters, and other industry leaders are return participants of Qumra, and have played a defining role in shaping the most exciting new voices in Arab and world cinema.
Industry professionals participating in Qumra 2025 come from 50 different countries this year the most to date. Among them are countries as Argentina, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Greece, Honk Kong, India, Iran, Italy, Jordan, KSA, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Norway, Palestine, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso, The Netherlands, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, UK, United Kingdom and USA.
This years edition showcases a significant presence of guests and projects from the Global South, with a diverse selection from Asia, Africa, and Latin America underscoring DFIs commitment to nurturing emerging talent and fostering the development of underrepresented voices in world cinema.
In this context, Chief Executive Officer of Doha Film Institute Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, said "The presence of industry experts at Qumra is more than just guidance it is a powerful catalyst for transformation. By sharing their knowledge, experience, and networks, these mentors empower new voices to carve their space on the global stage, ensuring that diverse and compelling stories find their rightful place in the world.
Alremaihi added, "We are deeply grateful to these experts for joining us in our commitment to the next generation of global storytellers and for their invaluable support in helping shape the future of world cinema."
Qumra will host 27 feature-length projects, 10 series projects, and 12 short films at different stages of development, production and post-production. Each creative team will receive personalized project consultations in pre-scheduled meetings with various international cinema industry experts.
Project mentors in this year's edition include internationally acclaimed filmmakers Elia Suleiman, Rithy Panh, Annemarie Jacir, Ghassan Salhab, Kamal Aljafari, Tala Hadid and Talal Derki.
Meanwhile, the list of Project consultants for Qumra 2025 feature projects include Brigid O'Shea, Jihan Al Tahri, Benjamin Mirguet, Qutaiba Barhamji, Sebastian Sepulveda, Aranka Matits, Joanna Solecka, Konstantina Stavrianou, E. Nina Rothe, Bob Moore, Catherine Dussart, Didar Domehri, Dora Bouchoucha, Joslyn Barnes, Dorota Lech, Hedi Zardi, Jad Abi Khalil, Teresa Cavina, Zsuzsi Bankuti, Gabor Greiner, Maelle Guenegues, Antoine Waked, Joelle Touma, Raja Amari, Rana Eid, Severin Favrieau, Kevin Chan and Pierre-Alexandre Labelle.
As for the Series projects mentors, the list includes Izzy Abidi, Frederic Pittoors d'Haveskercke, Gabriele Capolino, Paolo Ciccarelli, Joshua Banta, Marc Lorber, Marike Muselaers, Neerja Narayanan, Ryan ONan and Ziad Srouji.
Experts advising Qumra Shorts projects include Alice Kharoubi, Ben Thompson, Celine Roustan, Julie Rousson, Karim Aitouna, Myriam Sassine, Ayman El Amir, Britta Krause, Irit Neidhart and Jean-Christophe J. Lamontagne.
The event will feature industry meetings designed to assist talents to propel their projects to their next stages of development through master classes, work-in-progress screenings, industry roundtables, project pitching, bespoke matchmaking sessions and tailored mentorships with industry experts. This creative exchange will take place alongside a programme of public screenings of films supported by DFI.