Doha: The Doha Film Institute (DFI) revealed the 44 projects that will participate in the upcoming Qumra 2023 which takes place in-person March 10-15 and online March 19-21.
The selected projects come from 23 different countries and comprise 14 feature narratives, 12 feature documentaries, seven series and 11 shorts.
Of 44 projects, 29 are recipients of the Doha Film Institute's Grants program, and five are supported through the Qatari Film Fund. 24 projects have participated in DFI Training Programs (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, 7 in Qumra Series, and 11 are in Qumra Shorts.
CEO of DFI Fatma Hassan Al Remaihi 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. Qumra is creating a new space for independent and new voices in cinema, she said, stressing that DFI is keen on the diversity and depth of the original themes that emerging filmmakers are exploring.
She noted that DFI's goal is to support independent voices in cinema in their script-to-screen journey, while praising the support of the acclaimed film luminaries and industry experts who provide mentoring and guidance for the selected projects. The skills filmmakers learn at Qumra will be invaluable in their journey, not only in connecting their projects to global audiences but in gaining exceptional insights into the craft of filmmaking.
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.
