The projects showcased at Qumra were at various stages of development, production, and post-production.
Many of them demonstrate the pivotal role cinema plays in countering political propaganda and media distortion, offering authentic stories that resonate deeply with audiences worldwide.
As highlighted throughout the incubator, these films are a direct response to ongoing global crises, including unjust wars, economic instability, and widespread displacement.
By reflecting on these pressing issues, they underscore the urgent need for emerging voices that can articulate the lived experiences of affected communities and deconstruct the stereotypes that often obscure complex socio-political realities.
One such example is Speak Image, Speak, a documentary project by Berlin-based Palestinian filmmaker Pary El-Qalqili.
In the film, El-Qalqili revisits the 1972 Munich Olympics, challenging the distorted portrayal of Palestinians in Western media, which has long facilitated their dehumanization.
El-Qalqili, co-founder of the Palestinian Feminist Archive Berlin, explores how the image of the masked Palestinian assailants at the Olympic Games became a recurring motif representing Palestinians as the embodiment of terrorism, delving into the Palestinian past and present in Germany.
The film focuses on the experiences of those facing criminalization and persecution, yet who refuse to be silenced.
The project, still in development, is produced by Egyptian-German producer Kesmat Elsayed, known for Abo Zaabal 89 by Bassam Mortada, which won Best Feature Documentary at the Cairo International Film Festival.
Elsayed discussed the challenges of securing funding for such a project, particularly in Germany and other Western countries. “It’s not easy, particularly in Germany,” she told Ahram Online. “That’s why it’s crucial to start by applying for funding grants in the Arab world.”
Speak Image, Speak has won a DFI Spring Grant for 2024 for a project in development. It will participate in the Onassis Foundation’s research residency in Greece for three months and has already received feedback and mentorship from Qumra's Masters and cinema experts.
Fatma Al-Remaihi, CEO of the Doha Film Institute, stressed to Ahram Online the importance of supporting such stories: “In a world where many prominent cultural events and institutions have chosen silence over solidarity, and protesting voices face marginalization, we must stand firm. It’s our duty as storytellers.”
Al-Remaihi also emphasized the necessity of supporting the Arab film industry to share authentic narratives with the world: “We have suffered for too long from the false representation of Arabs in Western media, films, and TV series.”
Another project in development is Al-Malak, the Good Spirit, a feature film by Palestinian writer-director Razan Madhoon, based in Scotland.
The film follows Noor, a 22-year-old Gazan who feels disconnected from her family.
When she befriends a stray dog, it sparks various reactions in her community and forces her to confront her family’s traditional beliefs.
As the dog falls ill due to limited healthcare, her family is unable to save it, intensifying Noor’s isolation.
Another notable project in production is In Memory of Times to Come, a sci-fi thriller by UK-based Palestinian artist Larissa Sansour.
In this co-production between Palestine, Denmark, Malta, the UK, Qatar, and France, Sansour uses science fiction as a narrative tool to explore social and political issues.
The film is set in Bethlehem, 30 years after an eco-apocalypse.
Alia, the protagonist, discovers that her seemingly peaceful life is part of a utopian experiment that erases memories of a traumatic past.
Haunted by forgotten history, she embarks on a quest to uncover the truth.
From Iraq, three projects are addressing the social traumas haunting the younger generation.
The Sixth Story by Ahmed Abd, winner of the IDFA FIPRESCI Award for his debut feature The Fifth Story (2020); Hasan Hadi’s debut The President's Cake; and Mother of Silence, a feature documentary by Zahraa Ghandour.
The Sixth Story is a documentary in development that explores the haunting memory of a 12-year-old Ahmed, who witnessed the abduction and murder of his friend’s father during Iraq’s sectarian violence.
Together with his friend Ali, Ahmed retraces these tragic events, capturing fragments through sketches.
Recently announced to premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight section of the 78th Cannes Film Festival (13–24 May), The President's Cake transports viewers to 1990s Iraq, following nine-year-old Lamia in the southern Marshes as she and her spirited grandmother, Bibi, navigate the social pressures of “draw day”, when schoolchildren were selected to bring gifts in honour of President Saddam Hussein’s birthday.
Bibi teaches her clever tricks to avoid being chosen for these tasks.
However, when the teacher calls her name for the most challenging assignment — the birthday cake — she has no choice but to comply, as refusing could result in imprisonment or even death.
Mother of Silence sees director Zahraa Ghandour return to her childhood home in Baghdad to seek answers about her family’s past.
Growing up in her aunt Hayat’s house, where she witnessed the rejection of newborn girls, Zahraa is haunted by the 20 year long disappearance of her childhood friend Noor.
Her search through Baghdad uncovers how the war in Iraq has reinforced patriarchal systems, forcing mothers to abandon their baby daughters.
Qumra by Doha Film Institute
Qumra is an annual talent incubator for Arab and international cinema, dedicated to nurturing emerging voices with mentorship from global film experts.
The incubator features masterclasses, networking, and skills development sessions for filmmakers.
This year, Qumra hosted 250 industry experts from 50 countries, including Brazilian Oscar-winning filmmaker Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries, I'm Still Here), French-Iranian cinematographer Darius Khondji (Mickey17, Amour, Seven), and Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz (The Woman Who Left, Evolution of a Filipino Family).
The list of experts also featured Mexican costume designer Anna Terrazas (Roma, Spectre), and Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To (Exiled, Election).
The selection for the mentorship program included 49 promising projects from 23 countries, consisting of 27 feature films, 10 TV series, and 12 short films at various stages of development, production, and post-production.
Thirty-seven of these projects have received DFI grants.
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