DFI expands global reach with virtual edition of Qumra 2021
Film visionaries Claire Denis, James Gray, Jessica Hausner, Mark Mangini and Phedon Papamichael, return for DFI’s annual industry incubator for exceptional talent
Legendary French auteur Claire Denis, British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) and Academy Award nominated cinematographer Phedon Papamichael, internationally celebrated director and Cannes veteran James Gray, Silver Lion winning film director and screenwriter Jessica Hausner and Academy Award winning sound designer Mark Mangini re-confirmed their commitments as Qumra Masters for the 2021 online edition of Doha Film Institute’s (DFI) event dedicated to supporting important new voices from the Arab and world cinema.
Over the past seven years, Qumra has been a one-of-akind professional incubator crucial to the success of filmmakers from the Arab world and beyond. The Qumra 2021 programme, scheduled from March 12 to 17 will present 48 selected projects from 21 countries as part of DFI’s mission to nurture the success of filmmakers from the region and beyond and prepare them to bring their projects to audiences around the world.
DFI CEO Fatma Hassan Alremaihi said: “Qumra is an extremely important event for our community and participants, and is crucial for the success of the selected projects who represent some of the most promising names in world cinema. The institute is extremely grateful to our Qumra Masters, filmmakers and industry participants for their passion and contribution to our commitment to reshape the global storytelling landscape and empower emerging voices during this period of new challenges.
DFI artistic adviser and filmmaker Elia Suleiman said: “In the midst of the adversity of the Covid-19 outbreak, it was of utmost importance for us to protect the promise of the outstanding projects in the previous edition of Qumra, regardless of the disruption that the pandemic caused to our ‘normal’. A year on, we look forward to welcoming our Master’s back to bring their immense value to an exciting new line-up of projects, on a more robust and interactive online platform.”
Continuing the institute’s commitment to support promising talent in evolving forms of creativity and new possibilities, Qumra 2021 includes sessions dedicated to exploring and developing fresh new projects from the region.
This year’s event features 19 projects by Qatar-based talent, including 12 by Qatari nationals. A total of 48 projects, including Series Projects in various stages of development, will participate.
Of these projects, 39 are recipients of the DFI’s Grants programme and the Qatari Film Fund. In all, 15 feature projects are in the development stage, 15 feature projects in post-production, six TV and web series projects in development, and 12 shorts projects (in development and post-production).
2021 Qumra projects: Development-Feature Narrative – A Road to Damascus (Lebanon, France, Qatar) by Meedo Taha; Ashkal (Tunisia, France, Qatar) by Youssef Chebbi; Cotton Queen (Sudan, Qatar) by Suzannah Mirghani; Hounds (Morocco, France, Belgium, Qatar) by Kamal Lazraq; In a Dream You Saw A Way to Survive and You Were Full of Joy (Lebanon, UK, Qatar) by Remi Itani; My Classmate Ali for Supreme Leader (Qatar) by Nadia al-Khater; The Pearl (Qatar) by Noor al-Nasser; Under Construction (Lebanon, Qatar) by Nadim Tabet.
Development-Feature Documentary – Companions of The White Arc (Qatar, Jordan, Lebanon, Romania, Norway) by Elia Youssef and Mohammed al-Thani; Handala, The Boy Without a Face (Lebanon, Qatar) by Mahmoud Kaabour; Jodari Meno (Qatar, Italy, Zanzibar) by Jamal al-Khanji and David Ochoa; My Father’s House (Denmark, UK, Palestine, Qatar) by Mahdi Fleifel; The Camera Never Cries (Sudan, Qatar) by Abuzar Adam, Elsadig Abdelgayoum; Theft of Fire (Canada, Palestine, Qatar) by Amer Shomali; Wall of Death (Morocco, France, Qatar) by Amine Sabir, Hassan and Khadra.
Post-production-Feature Narrative: Work-in-Progress – Costa Brava Lebanon (Lebanon, France, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Qatar) by Mounia Akl.
Picture Lock – El Gran Movimiento (Bolivia, France, Switzerland, Qatar) by Kiro Russo; Orca (Qatar, Iran) by Sahar Mossayebi; The Exam (Iraq, Germany, Qatar) by Shawkat Amin Korki; The Sea Ahead (Lebanon, France, Belgium, US, Qatar) by Ely Dagher; Tug of War (Tanzania, South Africa, Germany, Qatar) by Amil Shivji; Whether the Weather is Fine (Philippines, France, Singapore, Germany, Indonesia, Qatar) by Carlo Francisco Manatad; White Building (Cambodia, France, China, Qatar) by Kavich Neang.
Post-production-Feature Documentary: Work-in-Progress – The Miracle of Almería (Belgium, Switzerland, Netherlands, Qatar) by Moon Blaisse; 5 Seasons of Revolution (Syria, Germany, Norway, Qatar) by Lina; Fragments from Heaven (Morocco, France, Qatar) by Adnane Baraka.
Picture Lock – Atlantide (Italy, France, Qatar) by Yuri Ancarani; Children of the Enemy (Sweden, Denmark, Qatar) by Gorki Glaser-Müller – He lost his daughter to Islamic State. Can he save his grandchildren?; Les Enfants Terribles (France, Germany, Turkey, Qatar) by Ahmet Necdet Cupur; Our Little Palestine (Lebanon, France, Syria, Qatar) by Abdullah al-Khateeb.
Shorts projects -Development – Short Narrative – Al Fanar (Qatar) by Aisha al-Muhannadi; Kinship (Qatar) by Ali al-Hajri; The Experiment (Qatar) by Abdullah al-Hor; A Simple Cut (Qatar) by Maha alJefairi.
Work-in-progress-Short Animation – Revenge Knows Nothing (Qatar) by Abdulla al-Janahi and Abdulaziz Khashabi. Short Documentary – Let’s Play Soldiers (Yemen, Qatar) by Mariam al-Dhubhani; Short Documentary Lab with Rithy Panh – And I Was Left Behind (Qatar, Kuwait) by Maysaa Almumin; And Then They Burn the Sea (Qatar) by Majid al-Remaihi; Fever Dream (Qatar, US, Poland) by Ania Hendryx Wójtowicz; Ode to Loneliness (Qatar, Lebanon) by Rawane Nassif; Virtual Voice (Qatar, Sudan) by Suzannah Mirghani.
Picture Lock-Creative Short Documentary – Don’t Get Too Comfortable (Yemen, UAE, Kenya, US, Netherlands, Qatar) by Shaima al-Tamimi.
Series projects-Locals. Qatar (Qatar) Directed by Saud al-Thani, written by Stephen Ochsner, produced by Fahad al-Attiya, Julia Shaginurova, Galina Bott; Mornings in Jenin (Palestine, US, UK, Qatar) Directed by Annemarie Jacir, produced by Alison Sterling, Screenwriters: Ismail Khalidi, Naomi Wallace; Oddity Tales from a Strange Land (Jordan, Qatar) Directed and written by Ahmad Samara, produced and co-written by Alaa Alhussan, co-writer: Alaadin Qaraqish; Rise of the Mad Cat (Qatar) Directed, written and produced by Meshaal al-Abdulla and Ibrahim al-Abdulla; TCA186: The Tarmac Year (Lebanon, Qatar) Directed and written by Mohamed Berro, co-written by Fuad Halwani, producer: Mohamed Berro, Fuad Halwani; Jet Set Arabia (Qatar) by Abdulla al-Abdulla, executive producers: Abdulla al-Abdulla, Basel Owies.