Doha Film Institute

History

Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani founded DFI in 2010 to support the Arab film industry, especially in Qatar, as well as creators abroad. Amanda Palmer was DFI's first CEO until stepping down in July 2012 to start a talent and production company. DFI board member Mansour Ibrahim Al-Mahmoud served as acting CEO until banking executive Abdulaziz Al-Khater became CEO that October. The organisation also saw major reductions in both cultural activities and staffing due to financial problems. The Ajyal Film Festival (2013) and Qumra Film Festival (2014) were launched to replace the DTFF. In May 2022, she received the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres award from the French government in recognition of her work with DFI.

Collaborators

In 2012, students from Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) were invited to create short films for the Made in Qatar segment of the DTFF. NU-Q faculty, such as Joe F. Khalil, Tim Wilkerson, Khaled Hroub, Justin Martin, and Scott Curtis, led discussions and panels at the event. In 2013, DFI announced the creation of a $100 million feature film fund in collaboration with Jeffrey Skoll's production company Participant Media though no films were supported and the fund was later cancelled. In 2022, to celebrate the FIFA World Cup being held in Qatar, DFI and the Qatar Football Association started the Football Filmmaking Challenge, which invited creators ages 18 to 25 to make short films about football.

Programmes

Doha Tribeca Film Festival (2009-2012)

Main article: Doha Tribeca Film Festival

In 2009, a pre-launched DFI teamed up with Tribeca Enterprises to start the Doha Tribeca Film Festival. This festival aimed to continue developing Qatar's film industry.

Ajyal Film Festival (2013-present)

The Ajyal Film Festival was launched in November 2013 to showcase family-friendly films from around the world "designed to nurture minds across generations and support the development of thoughtful future leaders." Ajyal has annual themes as well that lend inspiration to its filmmakers. The 2021 theme was "Press Play," which focused on "mov[ing] forward out of pause mode and rekindl[ing] people's passion for play, exploration, and discovery through shared cultural experiences." The festival also has a Made in Qatar session that showcases short films by Qatari creators. In addition to the film screenings, Ajyal hosts several special events, including exhibitions, concerts, workshops, installations, live performances, panels, and family activities during the festival.

Qumra (2014-present)

The Qumra film platform started in March 2014 as a way to showcase up-and-coming filmmakers. In addition to screenings, the festival holds masterclasses and discussions with industry professionals who help guide new filmmakers to making the content of their film internationally accessible. Since its inception, Qumra has evolved beyond the event itself into an "online portal, digital event space, and resource hub, and a unique incubator intended to assist first- and second-time filmmakers from around the world." After being held online from 2020-2022, the 2023 Qumra Film Festival was held in person again and featured 44 films of which 13 were from Qatar itself.

Focus on Qatar (2015-2016)

Focus on Qatar was a 3-day festival meant to showcased films and filmmakers from Qatar. The festival was held at the MIA, featured over 15 short movies and was opened with a screening of Clockwise, which was Qatars first feature-length movie. The festival was held again in 2016 and showcased seven short documentaries by Qatari filmmakers at the MIA.

Ajyal Film Club (2021-present)

In 2021, the youth jurors from the Ajyal Film Festival started the free-to-join Ajyal Film Club for people ages eight to 25. The club was established to "put the spotlight on pressing global concerns and rally youth dialogue around them through the medium of film." Previous topics include environmental concerns seen through the lenses of The Lorax, Chasing Coral, and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict with a focus on Palestine through The Present, My Neighbourhood, and 200 Meters.

Other

In addition to its film festivals, DFI hosts workshops, labs, and masterclasses for creators, including courses focused on screenwriting and producing. Classes are mentored by industry professionals such as Annemarie Jacir, Fx Goby, Patrick Doyle, Richard Peña, Julie Goldman, Ghassan Salhab, Sebastián Sepúlveda, Ahmad Abdalla, Hisham Zaman, Rithy Panh, Kamal Aljafari, Marietta von Hausswolff von Baumgarten, and Ryan O'Nan, who can help students move through the steps of film creation, from screenwriting and development to post-production and marketing. Other events include Cinema Under the Stars, family-friendly outdoor film screenings.

Funding programmes

The DFI Grants program biannually awards creators with funding in both the spring and fall, aiming to "support initiative that identifies and nurtures first- and second-time filmmakers globally." As of May 2022, DFI has given financing to more than 650 films in 74 countries. In 2020, DFI announced it would be funding a television show, Oddity Tales from a Strange Land, for the first time. In 2022, ten films funded at least partially by DFI were chosen for that year's Cannes Film Festival. Backstage, one of the five DFI backed movies shown at 80th Venice Film Festival in 2023, won the Cinema & Arts award, while at the Cannes Film Festival the same year, the lead actress of another DFI backed film, About Dry Grasses, was awarded the Best Actress award. At the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, six DFI-backed movies were shown.

Examples of films financed or co-financed by the DFI are Theeb, Loving Vincent, The Prophet, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, The Salesman, Black Gold, Kanye West's Cruel Summer, The Attack, Capernaum, It Must Be Heaven, and Of Fathers and Sons.

On 18 February 2024, DFI announced a short film event, featuring films produced by local directors, under “The Made in Qatar Film Competition” banner. The two day competition began 20 February, with the awards being presented the next day. The event was open to the general public for four days following the announcement of the winners.

References

References

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