Doha Film Institute Unveils Projects Set for Qumra Event That Has Moved Online Due to Iran War

The Doha Film Institute’s Qumra Arab film industry incubator — which has been scrapped as a physical event and moved online due to the ongoing U.S.-Israel-Iran war — has unveiled the 49 projects from 39 countries that will be on digital display from March 27-April 8.

Features set to be unveiled to industry and festival executives at Qumra that are in the picture-lock phase — and are therefore likely to soon surface on the festival circuit — comprise “Pipes” (pictured), a drama about a retired water authority worker under pressure to bring back water in his quiet village, directed by Brooklyn-based Lebanese photographer and director Karim Kassem (“Thiiird”); Chinese filmmaker and artist Qiu Jiongjiong’s “Fuxi: Joy in Four Chapters,” which weaves together four Sichuan tales spanning thousands of years, connected through the universal language of food and feasting; Chilean director Jairo Boisier Olave’s “Radiesthesia,” about a teenager named Judith who has a gift of finding water underground in a drought-ravaged town; and France-based Cameroonian filmmaker Bernard Auguste Kouemo Yanghu’s first feature “House of the Wind,” which is set in the capital of Cameroon where an elderly woman named Josette is struggling with loneliness as she oversees the construction of a house for one of her sons who is living abroad.

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Completed documentaries being shown at Qumra include Palestinian director Mohanad Yaqubi’s “Revolutionaries Never Die,” revolving around the archives of late Lebanese journalist Jocelyne Saab; Moroccan director Tala Hadid’s “Bardi” that explores contemporary questions of masculinity and transformation as it follows a traveling brotherhood of horsemen; and Qatar-based filmmaker Hamad Salem Al-Hajri’s “When the News Breaks You,” about journalists working in conflict areas in the Middle East.

Qumra, which means “camera” in Arabic, blends together a creative workshop, co-production market and festival elements. 

Qumra’s 2025 edition featured Iraqi director Hasan Hadi’s “The President’s Cake,” which went on to win the Cannes’ Caméra d’Or and was shortlisted for best international feature film at the 2026 Academy Awards, among other standout titles.

The unique event’s 12th edition had been scheduled to run March 27-April 1 in Doha’s Museum of Islamic Art as well as in the city’s downtown Mushaireb neighborhood with the participation of Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal, Alice Diop, Faouzi Bensaïdi and Gustavo Santaolalla, who had been recruited to give masterclasses and mentor filmmakers. Some 200 international film executives had been expected to make the trek to Doha for Qumra, for which the DFI’s artistic advisor is Palestinian auteur Elia Suleiman.

“While we are deeply saddened by the current circumstances in the region, the decision to present Qumra 2026 online reflects Qatar’s resilience and its enduring commitment to continuity, even in the face of significant challenges,” said DFI CEO Fatma Hassan Alremaihi. “This year’s selection highlights the courage and ambition of today’s filmmakers and the urgency of the stories they are compelled to tell. We are proud to see our nation strongly represented alongside powerful perspectives from across the world.”

For the complete list of Qumra projects go to www.dohafilm.com.