Qumra 2018, presented by the Doha Film Institute (DFI), will be held on 9 to 14 March, with more than 150 international film industry experts joining the event to mentor 34 Qumra projects, mostly helmed by first- and second-time filmmakers.
Along with the Qumra Masters, the six-day event will welcome film industry professionals and experts from related sector. Several of them have formed strong bonds with the annual event, which has become a unique and important platform and project incubator for new voices and compelling stories in the Arab and world cinema.
The 2018 Qumra industry delegates include representation from more than 15 leading international film festivals and executives from some of the world’s leading film production companies and funding agencies. Delegates from Argentina, Singapore, Sweden, South Africa, the UK, and the US will be joining the week-long gathering. Regional delegates from Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia will also participate.
Qumra Programme
The Qumra industry programme focuses on 34 projects from 25 countries at various stages of development. The sessions are presented in two strands: tutorials, workshops, consultations and one-on-one meetings for projects still in development; and a series of works-in-progress screenings and feedback sessions for projects in post-production. Qumra covers the script-to-screen journey and beyond, and with the inclusion of VoD and online platforms, filmmakers can look beyond conventional platforms to take their projects to a wider audience.
DFI Chief Executive Officer Fatma Al Remaihi said that for the fourth edition (of Qumra), they seek participation from the world’s leading film industry professionals that generously contribute to the growth of the film industry in Qatar and the region. She said that the gathering is an incredible opportunity for emerging filmmakers to gain access to international industry experts who will guide the full life cycle of their projects.
Through the last three editions of Qumra, we have seen many of the selected projects win international critical and award acclaim. As we prepare for Qumra 2018, we are confident that the wisdom and experience of this year’s accomplished contributors will provide invaluable tools to a new generation of filmmakers.’
Qumra Master Tilda Swinton
DFI also announced the exciting addition of Oscar® winning actor Tilda Swinton (Isle of Dogs, Michael Clayton, We Need to Talk about Kevin) to the 2018 line-up of acclaimed international Qumra Masters.
Swinton joins Sandy Powell, Order of the British Empire (OBE), Oscar® winning British costume designer (The Young Victoria, The Aviator, Shakespeare in Love); Oscar® nominated director Bennett Miller (Capote, Moneyball, Foxcatcher); Venice Golden Lion winning Russian director and writer Andrey Zvyagintsev (Leviathan, Loveless); Cannes Palme d’Or winning Thai filmmaker and visual artist Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives); and the only documentary director to win the Berlinale Golden Bear, Italian director Gianfranco Rosi (Fire at Sea) as Qumra Masters for the 2018 edition.
Qumra Masters nurture the talent associated with 34 selected Qumra projects from 25 countries that are in development and post-production stages.
Doha Film Institute Artistic Advisor and filmmaker Elia Suleiman said that were honoured to have Swinton inform and inspire Qumra delegates.
Swinton’s transformational ability and fierce talent takes every role to unprecedented levels of inspiring perfection and originality. Constantly challenging conventional visual and emotional preconceptions, the depth and breadth of her performances can only be described as profoundly boundary breaking.’
The Qumra 2018 industry events include workshops and meetings for first- and second-time filmmakers in bespoke mentorship labs; Qumra Master Classes led by acclaimed filmmakers; Qumra Screenings of feature films presented by the Qumra Masters and recipients of funding from the Institute; and Qumra Talks.
For more information about Qumra 2018, visit the DFI website at dohafilminstitute.com.
