❮
❯
TRENDING
March 5, 2024
200+ Global Film Professionals Attend Qumra 2024
This year’s Qumra mentorship programme will go beyond in-person meetings from March 1 to 6, extending to online sessions from March 9 to 11. By K Dass.
Doha - Fatma Al-Remaihi, the CEO of the Doha Film Institute
(DFI), made a powerful statement during the opening of Qumra, the DFI’s project
and talent lab. Addressing the 200 Qumra attendees at Doha’s Museum of Islamic
Art, she called for a ceasefire to end the “genocide in Gaza”.
Al-Remaihi expressed
her frustration and disappointment at witnessing creative spaces, once
considered safe havens for free expression, becoming oppressive. She emphasised
the importance of ensuring that all voices are heard and all lives are treated
with dignity and respect.
Qumra, as a platform,
aims to amplify voices in this conflict and other regional issues. As the
situation continues to worsen in Palestine and other countries in the region,
Al-Remaihi urged collective support for calls for a ceasefire.
Palestinian filmmaker
Elia Suleiman, who is the artistic advisor to the DFI, also spoke about the
conflict in relation to Jonathan Glazer’s film The Zone of Interest. He emphasised
the responsibility of storytelling in addressing genocides and violence
worldwide. Qumra, which began with a relaxed ‘meet-and-greet,’ provides an
opportunity for contemplation, conversation, and creativity.
