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Doha, Qatar; March 15, 2023: The Doha Film Institute’s (DFI) annual talent incubator event for Arab and international cinema, Qumra 2023, focuses on building long-term relationships with the Qumra Masters, industry professionals and filmmakers, and strengthening the diversity of new cinematic voices emerging from the Arab region and across the world, observed Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, Chief Executive Officer of DFI.

At a press briefing on the closing day of the in-person event, she said Qumra has contributed significantly to enhancing the film ecosystem in Qatar and the region by offering a space for emerging filmmakers to express their creative ideas and transform them into compelling cinema. Qumra delegates will continue to take part in online sessions with their mentors from March 19 to 21.

Alremaihi said Qumra is an example of the year-round support that the Doha Film Institute offers to filmmakers. “Many of our filmmakers return as mentors, while international industry professionals continue to offer their support and guidance to emerging filmmakers. Our support does not confine to first- and second-time filmmakers but also through post-production grants, we are contributing to building a vibrant cinematic industry from and for the region and the world.”

Underlining the positive impact of Qumra to Qatar and the region’s film industry, she said: “Our priority and focus has been to support the Arab film industry, and our relationships go ahead of and beyond Qumra. One of our values is to build relationships and pay attention to the filmmakers, and our ecosystem continues to evolve. Our goal is to be as diverse as possible and to provide our participants with in-depth knowledge on all the diverse aspects of filmmaking.”

She said the Grants and financing initiatives of the Doha Film Institute, along with the year-round support offered, has helped build a strong body of work emerging from the region, including several Qatari feature films that are in various stages of production.

“This edition of Qumra provided a platform for new projects, such as series, that evolved in tune with the current trends and following the pandemic, when we continued to offer support through online editions of the event,” said Alremaihi. “We want to provide all projects, across features, documentaries, shorts and series, to achieve the necessary global exposure, including festivals, film funds, and distribution platforms.”

Alremaihi said that the Institute believes in giving a free hand to the directors. “We are not commissioning them to make films; we are facilitators, and we want the directors to work on their projects at their pace. Our approach is to be available for them across their script-to-screen journey. We also do not involve in the filmmakers’ selection of themes, but fully focus on providing a nurturing environment to bring their projects to life.”

This year, Qumra hosted over 200 international industry experts from 41 countries who are mentoring 44 films, including feature narratives, documentaries, web series and shorts by emerging talents. The projects chosen are from 23 countries underlining Qumra’s mission to support filmmakers from the