The Doha Film Institute’s Qumra workshop kicks off Friday with the cream of the Arab cinema crop on display – including several timely Palestinian projects – and a host of top industry professionals expected to make the trek to the Qatari capital.
Standout titles set to be unveiled in Doha – which played a key role in mediation efforts between Hamas and Israel – comprise sci-fi thriller “In Memory of Times to Come” (see concept still above), a first feature from Danish-Palestinian artist Larissa Sansour, who represented Denmark at the 58th Venice Visual Arts Biennale. The film is set 30 years from now when, following an “eco apocalypse,” a woman and her husband lead a peaceful life in a restored Bethlehem townhouse, according to the synopsis.
“In Memory,” which is currently shooting, is produced by Norway’s Anna Köhncke (“The Act of Killing”) and delves into the complexities of memory, trauma, heritage and national identity — “universal themes inspired by the situation in Palestine,” Sansour says in her director’s statement.
“It explores how myths shape our past and examines the very foundations of identity,” Sansour continues. “Who controls the narratives we tell about ourselves as a people? What part of ourselves would we lose without those stories? Can leaving behind a complex heritage create a happier life, and is that a sacrifice worth making?”
Another Palestinian project being unveiled is the TV series “(Dis)Closed” by Aida Kaadan, a member of the Arab women director’s collective Rawiyat: Sisters in Film. The show, which is development, is about a journalist who exposes “a wrongful conviction of five Palestinian men, only to be silences by a system determined to bury the truth,” according to the synopsis.
Qumra, which is an Arab word believed to be the origin of the word “camera,” is dedicated to supporting and shepherding first and second works by Arab directors but also supports some projects from other parts of the world. The mentors, through one-on-one meetings and master classes, will nurture the talent attached to 49 projects – 27 of which are feature films – that are in development or post-production.
The event’s artistic advisor is Palestinian director Elia Suleiman, know for movies addressing the long-running Arab-Israeli conflicts and their impact such as “Divine Intervention,” “The Time That Remains” and most recently “It Must Be Heaven,” which premiered at Cannes in 2019.
At Qumra, projects in development will take part in group and individual sessions in script consulting, marketing and co-production advice, along with individual matchmaking. Projects in post-production are presented in a series of closed rough-cut and picture-lock screenings for leading festival programmers, broadcasters, market representatives, sales agents and distributors.
Arabic features on display that are in the picture-lock phase – and are therefore likely to soon surface on the festival circuit – comprise Sudanese-Russian filmmaker Suzannah Mirghani’s “Cotton Queen,” about a teenage girl who finds herself at the center of a power struggle to determine the village’s future when a young businessman from abroad wants to marry her; French-Tunisian filmmaker and Rawiyat: Sisters in Film co-founder Erige Sehiri’s “Marie & Jolie,” which highlights the lives of three Ivorian women in Tunisia from different generations who live together in a house that doubles as a church; and NYU professor Hasan Hadi’s “The President’s Cake,” about a 9-year-old girl who is forced to bake a cake for Saddam Hussein’s birthday.
As previously announced, this year’s Qumra masters — who will hold onstage conversations and also act as mentors — are Brazilian auteur Walter Salles, fresh off his best international feature Oscar win for “I’m Still Here”; iconic Hong Kong director Johnnie To; Filipino slow cinema pioneer Lav Diaz; ace cinematographer Darius Khondji; and master Mexican costume designer Anna Terrazas.
Film festival reps from top events including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Locarno, Marrakech, Rotterdam, Sarajevo, Sundance and Tribeca are expected to be on hand.
Sales companies making the trek include Autlook Filmsales, Bac Films, Films Boutique, Indie Sales, Luxbox, Mediawan, Memento International, MK2 and Picture Tree International. Streamers and broadcasters coming to Doha comprise Max, Mubi, Arte France, beIN, MBC and OSN.
The event’s 11th edition runs April 4-9.
