12 DFI-supported films for Venice

A slate of 12 films from the region, supported by Doha Film Institute (DFI) have been selected for the 81st Venice International Film Festival, taking place from August 28 to September 7, 2024.

The selected films will screen in key programming sections of the festival, including Orrizonti and Orrizonti Shorts, along with the sidebar events of Critics Week, Giornate degli Autori, Final Cut and the Venice Gap-Financing Market.

The selection includes films from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, and Yemen. In a press statement, DFI CEO Fatma Hassan Alremaihi said: “We are proud to continue a successful festival season with a strong showcase of films by Arab talent at Venice. These films offer fresh perspectives on life that reflect human hopes, aspirations and challenges, presenting important voices in film from the Arab world to global audiences.

DFI-supported films set to screen at Venice 2024 include: Selected to the Orizzonti section, is Aïcha (Tunisia/France/Italy/KSA/Qatar) by Mehdi Barsaoui; and Happy Holidays (Palestine/Germany/France/Italy/Qatar) by Scandar Copti.

Screening in Orizzonti Shorts is Shadows (Jordan/France/Qatar) by Rand Beiruty. Sudan, Remember Us (Tunisia/France/Qatar) by Hind Meddeb is in the Giornate degli Autori section. Screening at the Critics’ Week is Perfumed with Mint (Egypt/France/Tunisia/Qatar) by Mohamed Hamdy.

Four films supported by DFI feature in the Final Cut in this edition, a workshop that aims to provide substantial assistance in the completion of films. These include: Aisha Can’t Fly Away (Egypt/France/Germany/Tunisia/Sudan/Lebanon/KSA /Qatar) by Morad Mostafa; In This Darkness I See You (Lebanon/France/KSA/Qatar) by Nadim Tabet; My Father’s Scent (Egypt/Norway/KSA/France/Qatar) by Mohamed Siam; and Those Who Watch Over (Morocco/Belgium/France/Qatar) by Karima Saidi.

Three films supported by DFI have also been selected for the Venice Gap-Financing Market. Marie & Jolie (Tunisia/France/Qatar) by Erige Sehiri; The Station (Yemen/Jordan/France/Netherlands/Germany/Norway/Qatar) by Sara Ishaq; and Theft Of Fire (Palestine/Canada/France/Qatar) by Amer Shomali.