First edition of Qumra receives huge support

The inaugural edition of Qumra, a new event by Doha Film Institute (DFI) dedicated to the development of emerging filmmakers from Qatar and around the world, has received extensive support from the Qatari business, educational and cultural community and key internationalfilm media outlets. Several leading business entities, cultural organisations and educational entities have stepped forward to partner with Qumra, which will be held from tomorrow until March 11. Fatma al-Remaihi, CEO, DFI, said: “The partnership that the business, cultural community and other stakeholders in Qatar has extended to Qumra plays an integral role in hosting a quality event for our participants - both the emerging talents and industry veterans who will share their insights on filmmaking and help pave the way for a strong culture of filmmaking in the country.“We are delighted that several of our partners have consistently associated with our events and see true value in supporting DFI’s initiatives that engage the filmmaking community and the public. Their patronage enables us to make a difference and we are thankful to them for their ongoing support.”Reinforcing its commitment to promoting the Qatari cultural scene, Katara – the Cultural Village is the cultural partner of Qumra, serving as a vibrant venue of the event. Supported by Al Jazeera Perfumes, Qumra has on board Sony and Fifty One East as official electronics partners while MAC Cosmetics is the official makeup sponsor. St Regis Doha is the official hotel partner. Other supporters of Qumra include Northwestern University in Qatar, Sarajevo Film Festival and the Translation and Interpreting Institute. The event is promoted by official media partners Al Jazeera Media Network, Festival Scope, I Love Qatar and Screen International. Qumra will showcase a programme of public screenings featuring films by the Qumra Masters who represent some of the leading names in world cinema – Gael García Bernal, Leila Hatami, Cristian Mungiu, Abderrahmane Sissako and Danis Tanovic - alongside new voices in cinema selected from films supported by DFI’s grants and co-financing programmes. More than 100 delegates from all facets of the film industry will participate in the industry programme, including representatives from leading international film festivals, funding bodies, sales, production and distribution companies along with development specialists and script consultants. The industry professionals will be connected to filmmakers linked to 29 projects at various stages of production in a series of bespoke mentorship labs and meetings designed to propel their projects to the next stage.