DFI announces 37 projects for 2019 Spring Grants

An impressive range of 37 projects by first-and-second-time filmmakers from around the world and established names from the Arab world, have been selected by the Doha Film Institute (DFI) for its Spring 2019 Grants cycle, which aims to nurture a new generation of creative talents and support the development of original and compelling content.

Underlining the important role of Arab women in filmmaking, 18 of the chosen projects are by talented female directors from the region, including a Qatari national. The announcement of the recipients of the 2019 Spring Grants cycle, which covers feature, documentary, short film, and TV and web series projects, was made on the sidelines of the 2019 Cannes Film Festival by DFI Chief Executive Officer Fatma Hassan Al Rumaihi.

Fatma Hassan Al Rumaihi said: “Our Grants Programme is a unique resource for the next generation of filmmakers from the Arab world and beyond and forms an important part of how we deliver on our mission to support emerging filmmakers and shine a light on new voices in world cinema. The diversity of this cycle’s projects combined is incredible and each project tells an important story that is specific to its local context but also universal and presents new perspectives on humanity.

“This is especially true of the selected Arab projects that represent some powerful new and established voices, who bring our hopes, dreams and values to life. We hope their stories will further understanding of the Arab world and contribute to a global culture of storytelling. It gives me great pride to see women filmmakers from across the region emerge as creative leaders of the new wave of filmmaking and crafting compelling stories with global resonance.”

Among the 37 projects selected for the 2019 Spring Grants cycle are the next recipients of the TV and web series grants introduced last year. Highlighting DFI’s role as a champion of Arab cinema, 31 projects are by Arab directors from the MENA region, including three by Qatari talents, and a project from Yemen featured for the first time. Six projects are chosen from outside the MENA region including China, Afghanistan, Italy, Canada, Serbia and the Philippines.

Awarded films “The Orphanage” (Afghanistan, Denmark, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Qatar) by Shahrbanoo Sadat and “To Live, To Sing” (China, France, Qatar) by Johnny Ma will make their global debut at

Directors Fortnight (Quinzaine des Realisateurs) at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. They are both recipients of this years post-production grants.
2019 Spring Grants recipients in the Feature Narrative Development category are “A Road to Damascus” (Lebanon, France, Qatar) by Meedo Taha and “Plum Season” (Morocco, Qatar) by Rim Mejdi.

In the Feature Documentary Development category, the winners are “Do You Love Me” (Lebanon, Germany, Qatar) by Lana Daher; “Machtat” (Tunisia, France, Lebanon, Qatar) by Sonia Ben Slama; “The Body of René” (Syria, Qatar) by Dani Abo Louh; “The Mother of All Lies” (Morocco, France, Qatar) by Asmae El Moudir; and “Yalla, Baba!” (Lebanon, Belgium, Qatar) by Angie Obeid.

In the TV Series Development category the grantees are “Faraya” (Lebanon, Qatar) by Nadim Tabet and Mounia Akl and “Heim” (Syria, Lebanon, Germany, Qatar) by Liwaa Yazji. In the Feature Narrative Production category, the winners of the grants are “Dirty, Difficult, Dangerous” (Lebanon, France, Germany, Qatar) by Wissam Charaf; “Motherhood” (Tunisia, France, Canada, Qatar) by Meryam Joobeur; and “Passerby” (Syria, Palestine, Germany, Qatar) by Ameer Fakher Eldin.

In the Feature Documentary Production category, the winners are “Al Yarmouk Ghetto” (Syria, Lebanon, Qatar) by Abdallah Al Khateeb; “Fouledh” (Tunisia, Qatar) by Mehdi Hmili and Abdallah Chamekh; “Searching for Kikhia” (Libya, UK, Lebanon, Qatar) by Jihan Kikhia; and “The Passion According to Andrew” (Lebanon, France, Qatar) by Corine Shawi.

In the Feature Experimental or Essay Production category, the winners are “Firefly in The Darkness of Time” (Algeria, France, Qatar) by Djamel Kerkar and “Watch Before Deletion” (Egypt, Germany, Qatar)

In the Web Series Production category, the winner of the grant is “Kawkabani” (Qatar) by Hossein Heydar and Amal Alshammari.

In the Feature Narrative Post-Production category, grantees are “A Son” (Tunisia, France, Lebanon, Qatar) by Mehdi Barsaoui; “Headed South” (Algeria, France, Qatar) by Rabah Ameur-Zaimeche; “The Woodman” (Iraq, Qatar) by Koutaiba Al-Janabi; “The Names of The Flowers” (Canada, USA, Bolivia, Qatar) by Bahman Tavoosi; “The Orphanage” (Afghanistan, Denmark, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Qatar) by Shahrbanoo Sadat; and “To Live to Sing” (China, France, Qatar) by Johnny Ma.

“After A Revolution” (Italy, Libya, UK, Qatar) by Giovanni Buccomino; “It Comes by Night” (Philippines, France, Norway, Qatar) by Alyx Ayn Arumpac; “Merry Christmas, Yiwu” (Serbia, Sweden, Germany, France, Belgium, Qatar) by Mladen Kovacevic; “The Cave” (Syria, Denmark, USA, Qatar) by Feras Fayyad; and “The Kingdom of Malika” (Algeria, France, Qatar) by Hassen Ferhani have been selected in the Feature Documentary Post-Production category.

The winner of the Feature Experimental or Essay Post-Production category is “Temporarily” (Syria, Germany, Qatar) by Reham Alkassar Reham. In the Shorts films category, grantees are “Hope” (Qatar) by Abdulla Al Jananhi; “J’ai Le Cafard” (Kuwait, Qatar), by Maysaa Almumin; “The Present” (Palestine, Qatar) by Farah Nabulsi; “Sixteen” (Egypt, France, Qatar) by Sameh Morsy; “This Is Not a Drill” (Qatar) by Nadia Al Khater; and “In the Middle” (Yemen, Qatar) by Yemini director Mariam Al-Dhubhanis.

أعلنت مؤسسة الدوحة للأفلام عن أسماء الحائزين على دعم برنامج المنح بالمؤسسة في ربيع 2019، إذ وقع الاختيار على 37 مشروعاً متميزاً من إنتاج صنّاع أفلام يخوضون تجاربهم الأولى أو الثانية في مجال الإنتاج من جميع أنحاء العالم، بالإضافة إلى أسماء بارزة في العالم العربي. وتهدف دورة ربيع 2019 من برنامج المنح إلى رعاية جيل جديد من المواهب المبدعة، ودعم تطوير محتوى أصلي ومقنع، وتأكيدًا على الدور المهم للمرأة العربية في صناعة الأفلام، وضمت قائمة الحاصلين على دعم برنامج المنح لربيع 2019، 18 مشروعاً لمخرجات موهوبات من المنطقة، ومنهنّ مخرجة قطرية.

أعلنت فاطمة حسن الرميحي، المدير التنفيذي لمؤسسة الدوحة للأفلام، عن أسماء الحاصلين على الدعم، الذي يغطي مشاريع الأفلام الوثائقية والأفلام القصيرة والبرامج التلفزيونية والمسلسلات، على هامش مهرجان كان السينمائي لعام 2019.

وقالت فاطمة حسن الرميحي في تصريح بالمناسبة: «يعتبر برنامج المنح بالمؤسسة مصدرًا فريدًا للجيل القادم من مخرجي العالم العربي وغيرهم، ويشكل جزءًا مهمًا من الطريقة التي نحقق بها مهمتنا الكامنة في دعم صناع الأفلام الصاعدين، وإلقاء الضوء على الأصوات الجديدة في السينما».

ولفتت الرميحي إلى أن التنوع في مشاريع هذه الدورة مذهل، إذ يروي كل مشروع قصة مهمة تتميز بسياقها المحلي، مع حفاظها على صبغة عالمية، بالإضافة إلى تقديم منظورات جديدة حول الإنسانية، مشيرة إلى أن هذا الأمر ينطبق بشكل خاص على المشاريع العربية المختارة التي تمثل بعض الأصوات الجديدة والمميزة، والتي تجسّد آمالنا وأحلامنا وقيمنا.

وأعربت عن أملها في أن تسهم قصصهم في زيادة إدراك العالم للعالم العربي والمشاركة في ثقافة رواية القصص العالمية. مضيفة: «يسعدني أن أرى صانعات أفلام من جميع أنحاء المنطقة يرتقين كقائدات مبدعات لجيلٍ جديد في مجال صناعة الأفلام وصياغة قصص مقنعة ذات صدى عالمي».