For its inaugural edition, the Doha Film Festival marks a major expansion of the Doha Film Institute ’s role in developing homegrown talent, an effort the institute has cultivated for 15 years through grants, labs and year-round training initiatives, including Qumra, Ajyal and earlier festival-style showcases. This year’s Made in Qatar competition brings that pipeline into full view with a slate of 10 shorts from Qatari and Qatar-based directors whose work has been shaped, supported, and mentored by the DFI network.

Of the competition program, festival director and DFI CEO Fatma Hassan Alremaihi said, “Supporting local filmmakers is not only a duty — it is a privilege and a source of great pride for the institute. Our storytellers open windows to our world, share our unique culture, a

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