Doha Film Institute (DFI) has announced in Cannes that it plans to launch two film festivals to be held in Qatar’s capital city Doha. One of them is an international film festival for first and second time filmmakers named Qumra Film Festival, with the debut edition set for March 2014. The Institute is also planning to […]
Doha Film Institute (DFI) has announced in Cannes that it plans to launch two film festivals to be held in Qatar’s capital city Doha.
One of them is an international film festival for first and second time filmmakers named Qumra Film Festival, with the debut edition set for March 2014.
The Institute is also planning to use its traditional November slot for the launch of the inaugural Ajyal Film Festival for the Young, a community-based event that brings cinema and film-related activities to Doha to promote film appreciation among families and educators.
“We want to harness the momentum weve generated there and continue developing film appreciation in Qatar,” said Abdulaziz Al Khater, CEO of DFI. “At the same time, the Institute has decided to focus on emerging filmmakers and expand its competitions to include films from around the world. The best path to achieving our goals is to build two separate film festivals.”
The Qumra event will carry jury awards for features and short films, master classes with established filmmakers and will also program films from across the globe, events backers said.
Days into being announced as artistic advisor for DFI, filmmaker Elia Suleiman said the festival will aim to be international and offer a home for first and second filmmakers no matter where in the world they live.
The intention is clear and sincere to build a cinematic house of culture, anchored to the principle of hope,” Suleiman said.
