Rithy Panh at Qumra 2021 press briefing.
Doha: More than 150 film industry experts and decision-makers from across the lifecycle of filmmaking, from scriptwriting to post-production and sales and marketing, will converge online to discover and accelerate the progress of 45 projects by emerging and established filmmakers in the eighth edition of Qumra, the Doha Film Institute’s (DFI) celebrated annual film industry event.
To be delivered online from March 18 to 23, Qumra 2022 is the region’s key film development initiative that brings together the global film industry to discover exciting new talents and enable emerging filmmakers to realise their cinematic aspirations of reaching global audiences. The 2022 edition’s 45 projects include 28 features, six series, and 11 short film projects, with six narrative and documentary features from Qatar.
Industry professionals from 35 countries will advance the selected Qumra projects through two streams: The first in tutorials, workshops, consultations, and virtual meetings for projects in development; and the second comprised of work-in-progress screenings and feedback sessions for projects in post-production. Inclusion of series for video on demand (VOD) and online platforms extends support of the script-to-screen journey to enable filmmakers to take their projects beyond conventional platforms to a wider audience.
This year’s acclaimed directors, producers, writers, film festival representatives, fund managers, distributors, digital platforms and broadcasters, and expert consultants, sales and acquisition heads are part of DFI’s expansive network of professionals that gather in Qatar at Qumra each year to celebrate a shared vision to discover and empower emerging film talent.
DFI Chief Executive Officer, Fatma Hassan Alremaihi said, “Qumra 2022 continues to serve its founding mission of creating a seamless journey from script-to-screen and beyond for exceptional talent from around the world. As the region’s premier film industry hub, it continues to identify and promote brave voices in cinema in sharing compelling stories with universal resonance.
"Our innovative online format will ensure that all our participants and industry contributors will emerge at the end of their week with advanced knowledge, fresh opportunities, and exciting potential for the international success of the projects. We are grateful for the commitment and enduring relationships we have with our industry professionals, and for their important contribution to a diverse and vibrant film industry.”
This year’s Qumra project mentors include DFI Artistic Advisor and filmmaker Elia Suleiman and internationally acclaimed filmmakers Kamal Aljafari, Rithy Panh, Ghassan Salhab, Tala Hadid, Talal Derki, and Annemarie Jacir.
Among the 2022 Qumra feature projects consultants are film festival executives Paolo Bertolin and Violeta Bava; editors Benjamin Mirguet and Alex Bush; sales executives Gabor Greiner, Aranka Matits and Martina Droandi; scriptwriters Joelle Touma, Britta Krause and Antoine Waked; producers Joslyn Barnes, Didar Domeri, Catherine Dussart and Dora Bouchoucha; project coaches Matthieu Darras, Zsuzsi Bankuti and Teresa Cavina; post production expert Konstantina Staurianou, sound expert Severin Favrieau, VOD experts Kevin Chan, Ava Striker and Pierre Alexandre Labelle and documentary consultants Brigid O’Shea, Jihan Al Tahri and Bob Moore.
