Tribune News Network
Doha
The 11th edition of Qumra, Doha Film Institute’s (DFI) annual talent incubator for Arab and international cinema, will welcome more than 250 film industry professionals representing all aspects of the entire life cycle of film production and exhibition to mentor emerging talent and provide creative feedback and business advice to take their films to the next level of success.
This year’s mentorship for Qumra filmmakers will extend beyond in-person meetings from April 4 to 9 to include online sessions from April 12 to 14, further expanding access to the invaluable guidance of industry experts that will support the success of their projects.
Industry professionals participating in Qumra 2025 come from 50 different countries this year – the most to date. Many of the acclaimed film directors, producers, film festival and market representatives, programmers, consultants, fund managers, sales professionals, acquisition heads, script experts, distributors, video on demand (VoD) platforms and broadcasters, and other industry leaders are return participants of Qumra, and have played a defining role in shaping the most exciting new voices in Arab and world cinema.
Qumra 2025’s industry delegates will be coming from such diverse countries asArgentina, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Greece, Honk Kong, India, Iran, Italy, Jordan, KSA, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Norway, Palestine, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso, The Netherlands, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, UK, United Kingdom and USA.
This year’s edition showcases a significant presence of guests and projects from the Global South, with a diverse selection from Asia, Africa, and Latin America underscoring DFI’s commitment to nurturing emerging talent and fostering the development of underrepresented voices in world cinema.
Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, chief executive officer of Doha Film Institute, said: “The presence of industry experts at Qumra is more than just guidance—it is a powerful catalyst for transformation. By sharing their knowledge, experience, and networks, these mentors empower new voices to carve their space on the global stage, ensuring that diverse and compelling stories find their rightful place in the world.”
Qumra will host 27 feature-length projects, 10 series projects, and 12 short films at different stages of development, production and post-production. Each creative team will receive personalized project consultations in pre-scheduled meetings with various international cinema industry experts.
Project Mentors and Consultants
Qumra 2025 project mentors include internationally acclaimed filmmakers Elia Suleiman, Rithy Panh, Annemarie Jacir, Ghassan Salhab, Kamal Aljafari, Tala Hadid and Talal Derki.
Project consultants for Qumra 2025 feature projects include Brigid O’Shea, Jihan Al Tahri, Benjamin Mirguet, Qutaiba Barhamji, Sebastián Sepúlveda, Aranka Matits, Joanna Solecka, Konstantina Stavrianou, E. Nina Rothe, Bob Moore, Catherine Dussart, Didar Domehri, Dora Bouchoucha, Joslyn Barnes, Dorota Lech, Hédi Zardi, Jad Abi Khalil, Teresa Cavina, Zsuzsi Bankuti, Gabor Greiner, Maëlle Guenegues, Antoine Waked, Joelle Touma, Raja Amari, Rana Eid, Séverin Favrieau, Kevin Chan and Pierre-Alexandre Labelle.
Series projects mentors include Izzy Abidi, Frédéric Pittoors d’Haveskercke, Gabriele Capolino, Paolo Ciccarelli, Joshua Banta, Marc Lorber, Marike Muselaers, Neerja Narayanan, Ryan O’Nan and Ziad Srouji.
Experts advising Qumra Shorts projects include Alice Kharoubi, Ben Thompson, Céline Roustan, Julie Rousson, Karim Aïtouna, Myriam Sassine, Ayman El Amir, Britta Krause, Irit Neidhart and Jean-Christophe J. Lamontagne.
Production Companies
Production companies and producers attending Qumra 2025 include Words And Pictures, Abbout Productions, La Prod, Film Clinic, Watermelon Pictures, Philistine Films, Special Touch Studios, Pallas Film, Katara Studios and The Film House among others.
