A still from Al Baseer.
Doha, Qatar: The Doha Film Institute (DFI) announced the recipients of its 2023 Fall Grants cycle, the region’s longest-serving film development initiative that identifies and nurtures first-and second-time filmmakers from across the world.
For the 2023 Fall Grants cycle, 44 films from 32 nations have been selected from hundreds of entries submitted by first and second-time filmmakers and acclaimed MENA directors. To date, the programme has supported over 800 diverse film projects from 74 countries.
In addition to Qatar, the 2023 Fall grantees include projects from Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bhutan, Croatia, Egypt, France, Georgia, Germany, Hong Kong, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Madagascar, Morocco, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Spain, South Africa, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tunisia, UAE, USA, and Zanzibar, among others.
The recipients include 20 women filmmakers, with 12 returning grantees and five projects from Qatar-based talent, reflecting the commitment of the Institute to nurture diverse, inclusive, and authentic voices from around the world to present stories that resonate across cultures and geographies.
Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, DFI Chief Executive Officer, said: “The volatility of today’s economic, social, and political conditions adversely impacts the support for creative talent, especially for independent voices in cinema with limited access to film finance. We are on a mission to identify and support these voices because we believe that their stories mirror the harsh lived realities of many communities through creative visions that need to be realised.”
The 2023 Fall grants recipients include, under MENA – Feature Documentary – Development: Après; In The Shade of a Royal Palace; House No. 7; and My Mother & I. MENA – Feature Documentary – Production: Khartoum; In the Name of Safia; and Niemeyer 4 Ever.
MENA – Feature Documentary – Post-Production: Abo Zaabal 1989; Sudan, When Poems Fall Apart; and Jodari Meno. MENA Established Directors Post-Production: 2G; and Arkala Gilgamesh’s Dream.
Non– MENA-Feature Documentary – Post-Production: Blueberry Dreams; Naseem, Fight with Grace; Hawa; Holidays in Palestine; and Untitled.
MENA - Feature Narrative – Development: 7 Waves; Awdah; Bab El Sahra; and Trouble Magnet.
MENA – Feature Narrative – Production: Eldorado, the Taste of the South; I Am Here but You Can’t See Me; The President’s Cake; The Return of The Prodigal Son; and The Dream Betrayed Me. MENA - Feature Narrative – Post-Production: Wear & Tear; and Al Baseer – The Blind Ferryman.
Non-MENA – Feature Narrative – Post-Production: Celebration; Demba; Disco Afrika: A Malagasy Story; Locust; and Shambhala.
MENA – TV Series – Development: The Blue Weddings; and My Sister and I. MENA – Short Narrative – Production: Grandma Swim; Not Dead But Sleeping; Sociophobia; and Underneath The Fig Tree.
MENA – Short Narrative – Post-Production: Civilization of Equality . And under MENA – Short Experimental – Production: Abode of the Blessed; Rabbat El Bait; The Land Was Well Past its Zenith; and La Nuit a Peine.
