Doha Film Institute (DFI) announced on Monday that eight films supported through its grants program have been selected for the 78th Cannes Film Festival, reaffirming the Institute's enduring commitment to nurturing bold, original voices in world cinema.
Spanning a wide spectrum of genres, styles, and cultural narratives, this year's selected films reflect the richness of global storytelling and underscore DFI's mission to champion compelling, underrepresented perspectives from the Arab world and beyond.
The selected projects will be unveiled to global audiences across various sections of the festival, including the official program with one in Official Selection Competition and three in Un Certain Regard. Four additional titles will screen across the parallel sections of Critics' Week (La Semaine de la Critique), Director's Fortnight (La Quinzaine des Cinéastes), and ACID, highlighting the artistic excellence and global relevance of the filmmakers.
Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, Chief Executive Officer of DFI, said: "We are incredibly proud to attend the 78th edition of Cannes with another selection of outstanding films supported by the Institute. This recognition speaks to the power of authentic storytelling and the importance of amplifying diverse voices. Most importantly, they exemplify cinema's profound power to connect us while revealing the beauty and complexity of our varied experiences. By empowering visionary filmmakers, we nurture creativity and promote compelling stories that have the potential to shape world cinema."
The Official Selection Competition will feature "Renoir" (Japan, France, Singapore, The Philippines, Indonesia, Qatar) by Chie Hayakawa, while Official Selection Un Certain Regard will feature "Aisha Can't Fly Away" (Egypt, Tunisia, KSA, Sudan, Germany, France, Qatar) by Morad Mostafa; "Promised Sky" (Tunisia, France, Qatar) by Erige Sehiri; and "Once Upon a Time in Gaza" (Palestine, France, Germany, Portugal, Qatar) by Tarzan and Arab Nasser.
Critics' Week (Semaine de la Critique) will feature "Sleepless City" (Spain, France, Qatar) by Guillermo Garcia Lopez; and "L'Mina" (Morocco, France, Italy, Qatar) by Randa Maroufi.
Director's Fortnight (Quinzaine des cinéastes) will feature "The President's Cake" (Iraq, USA, Qatar) by Hasan Hadi, while ACID will feature "Life After Siham" (Egypt, France, Qatar) by Namir Abdel Messeeh.
DFI's strong presence at Cannes 2025 builds on its legacy of empowering emerging talent and contributing meaningfully to the global film landscape.
