By Joseph Varghese
Staff Reporter

The next edition of Qumra Film Festival will be held in March 2016, the CEO of Doha Film Institute (DFI) disclosed on Monday.

“Qumra will be held in March and the details of the festival will be announced soon after the present Ajyal festival,” Fatma al-Remaihi, CEO of DFI said.

Speaking to Gulf Times, al-Remaihi said the last edition of Qumra was "greatly appreciated by everyone. It was a good experience for all the filmmakers. It was great and we want to keep it the same way".

She continued: “We had conducted a survey on the festival and everyone said that it was well organised. We will go ahead on the same model and the festival will be held in March next year.”

As for the Ajyal Youth Film Festival, the CEO said that it was a long-term investment. “We are planting the seeds and we are guiding the youth not only in a technical manner but also in a creative way. Ajyal is a long-term investment. One of the Qataris who attended as a juror in the first edition of the festival is a filmmaker in this event. We expect more to become great critics, thinkers, story writers and great filmmakers.”

The official pointed out that the focus on Arab youth and culture had a great impact on the society. “We have got huge support from the community. All the tickets for the 'Made in Qatar' section are already sold out. This shows that people are really interested in such initiatives. In many ways, the festival has been successful in integrating the society into the film culture.”

Reem Saleh, deputy director, Ajyal Youth Film Festival observed that the festival is giving youngsters the opportunity to learn more about filmmaking.

She explained: “During the jury programme, we integrate the participants’ phone with the event. We are doing a crowd sourced programme to engage the youth in the filmmaking process. It is a learning process and they have to decompose the film and at the end of the discussion we give them a filming machine. We give them the tips such as how to shoot with the mobile phones, how to hold it and many more. Our editors collect these footages everyday and examine them.”

Al-Remaihi also said that DFI has partnership with several international film festivals which is a great source of learning for the organisation.

“We look forward to make an impact on the youth of the country and provide the best for them. The festival is important for the people’s lives and the youth of the country in several ways. The festival has several sessions and panels, speaking the language of the youth.”

Related Story