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Doha, Qatar, 4 March 2024: Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, Chief Executive Officer of the Doha Film Institute (DFI), said the creative ecosystem nurtured by Doha Film Institute (DFI) to support talents from the Arab world and beyond has enabled them to connect with new audiences and helped change the perceptions of people around the world about the Middle East.

During a press briefing at the tenth edition of Qumra, the annual talent incubator event for Arab and international talent, Alremaihi said that extending support to emerging filmmakers is now more important than ever before.

“Our mission is to promote independent and new voices from around the world, because today there are very few places that provide them with the financing and mentorship they need. The funding, workshops and networking provided by DFI and through initiatives such as Qumra have helped create films that address the misrepresentation of the Arab world.”

She said that these films underline the fact that people in the Middle East have the same hopes and aspirations as everyone else around the world. “By discovering new audiences globally, these films are helping change the perceptions about the region. We are happy to see the attention these films are gaining, encouraging more people to watch more films from our region and to foster meaningful relationships that will contribute to building stronger relationships.”

Alremaihi said the Doha Film Institute focuses on identifying new stories and new ways of storytelling, without imposing any conditions imposed on filmmakers. “What we see is that talents who come to us with projects and evolve as filmmakers, consistently return to continue to work with us, often as mentors to emerging talent.”

On Qumra’s impact on the local film scene, she explained: “Our goal is to integrate the creative community of Qatar into our programs, and to develop directors and producers to establish a strong and sustainable film industry in the country.”