Doha: Doha Film Institute’s (DFI) first Qumra opened yesterday, with over 100 film industry professionals coming together for mentorship labs, master classes, meetings and screenings to nurture regional talent.
Addressing the gathering, Fatma Al Remaihi, CEO, DFI, said: “With Qumra, we mark the beginning of new collaborations and creative partnerships. Qumra is about exchange of ideas, knowledge and inspiration. It provides a supportive and productive space to catalyse works of new talents who will benefit from masters’ experiences and insights.
“We are delighted to have some of the world’s leading professionals here to open doors to a new understanding of cinema for participants.
“Qumra gives our audiences the opportunity to experience films by leading names and exciting new voices supported through DFI’s funding initiatives.
“At our industry programme, emerging filmmakers from Qatar and the Mena region will be connected with professionals in workshops and development labs to support their projects in progressing to the next stage.”
An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker was screened, attended by director Danis Tanovic, who won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for his first feature-length film No Man’s Land. He also took part in a Q&A session with the audience. He is also one of Qumra Masters who will lead a master class and attend individual mentoring sessions with local and regional filmmakers.
Film screenings will also be attended by their directors, providing emerging professionals and the public to engage in discussions on their creative process.
Abdulla Al Mosallem, Chief Administrative Officer, DFI; Elia Suleiman, Artistic Director who worked on developing the concept of Qumra and Qumra Master Class moderator; Richard Pena, former programme director, Film Society of Lincoln Center, and Professor of Professional Practice at School of Arts at Columbia University, were also present.
The six-day Qumra will mentor 29 projects in various stages of production to take them to the next stage. Representatives from international film festivals, funding bodies, sales, production and distribution companies along with development specialists and script consultants are part of the delegates.
Public screenings include films by Qumra Masters Gael García Bernal, Leila Hatami, Cristian Mungiu, Abderrahmane Sissako and Tanovic, alongside new voices selected from films supported by DFI grants and co-financing programmes.
Today, Qumra will host public screenings of five short films that are part of ‘New Voices in Cinema’ from 7.30pm to 9pm at Opera House, Katara Village.
The films are The Forgotten (Syria/Qatar, 2012) directed by Ehab Tarabieh; Maqloubeh (Palestine, France, Egypt, Qatar; 2012) by Nicolas Damuni; Old Airport Road (Qatar, 2014 by Qatari director Abdullah Al Mulla; Survival Visa (Tunisia, Qatar; 2014) directed by Nadia Rais; and The Wall (Lebanon, Qatar; 2012) by Odette Makhlouf Mouarkech.
The Peninsula
