Qatar unveils plans for two new film festivals

The Doha Film Institute (DFI) has announced that it is expanding its festival format to include two new cinematic showcases: the Ajyal Film Festival for the Young and the Qumra Film Festival.

The Qumra Film Festival, to be held over eight days in March 2014, will focus on first and second time filmmakers – of both short and feature length films.

The competition categories will be open to international entrants, but it will also include a ‘Made in Qatar’ section. Then, in November, the five-day long Ajyal Film Festival for the Young will be a community-based event to promote movie appreciation among families and educational establishments.

CEO of DFI -Abdulaziz Al Khater said, “we want to harness the momentum we’ve generated there and continue developing film appreciation in Qatar.

“At the same time, the Institute has decided to focus on emerging filmmakers and expand its competitions to include films from around the world. The best path to achieving our goals is to build two separate film festivals.” He added.