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Qumra Master to filmmakers: Invest in creative process

Published: 15 Mar 2023 - 09:35 am | Last Updated: 15 Mar 2023 - 10:50 am
Qumra Master David Parfitt speaks on stage during Qumra Masterclass on day three of Qumra 2023.

Qumra Master David Parfitt speaks on stage during Qumra Masterclass on day three of Qumra 2023.

The Peninsula

Doha: Academy Award winning producer and Qumra Master David Parfitt drew on his four decades of experience in filmmaking at his masterclass at Qumra 2023, encouraging young filmmakers and producers to surround themselves with the best professionals and invest in the creative process not just in budget management. 

At the annual talent incubator event for Arab and international cinema organised by the Doha Film Institute, Parfitt shared extensive anecdotes from his career, including his lifelong friendship with actor and filmmaker Kenneth Branagh and his rewarding journey of producing acclaimed films such as Henry V (1989), Peter’s Friends (1992), Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Shakespeare in Love (1998) that won seven Academy Awards, My Week with Marilyn (2011), Loving Vincent (2017), which was supported by the Doha Film Institute, and The Father (2020), among others.

Parfitt’s masterclass was defined by an unwavering passion for cinema and theatre, in equal measure. Although he started his career as a child actor, Parfitt said by the time he was 15, he didn’t want to be an actor, but his acting experience gave him the background “to understand filmmaking enough to be a producer.” 

Yet he insists he only knows film production the way he does it. “I learn on every production, and I have done a lot of things wrong. It is a management job, which I took from my parents, who were in retail business.” But Parfitt is not just into the business of management. As he advised Qumra delegates, “being involved and investing in the creative process is important.” 
That has also defined his cinematic journey as a producer, starting off with Kenneth Branagh.