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Everything you need to know about the Doha Film Institute and the Doha Tribeca Film Festival

Doha Film Institute

Who leads DFI?

DFI was founded by H.E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. Along with Her Excellency, DFI leadership comprises DFI Board Vice-Chair and Festival Board Chair, H.E. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Fahad Al-Thani; DFI Board Member and Festival Board Vice-Chair, H.E. Dr. Hassan Al-Nimah; DFI Board Member, Mr. Mansoor Ibrahim Al-Mahmoud; Festival Board Member, H.E. Sheikh Jabor Bin Yousuf Al Thani; and DFI Chief Executive Officer, Abdulaziz Al-Khater

What is DFI’s relationship with Tribeca Enterprises?

DFI and Tribeca share a cultural partnership, culminating in the Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF) – DFI’s annual celebration of film, a unique Doha-based initiative, which is not a sibling festival, duplicate or franchisee of the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.

DFI and Tribeca’s cultural partnership was born out of a common desire to inspire hope and bring together communities through film. DFI and Tribeca share core values of creating a community based audience driven Festival that is family oriented as well as a joint mission to promote and support Arab Cinema and storytelling.

The Tribeca New York provides DFI with an international platform to export and expose Arab films to international audiences at Tribeca Film Festival in New York. Similarly, DFI provides a platform at DTFF in Doha for Tribeca to showcase international films before Arab audiences – an exchange which is beneficial for both filmmakers and audiences.

By whom is DFI funded?

DFI is a non-profit independent organisation that receives funding from the Qatari government and private sponsors.

What is the Doha Film Institute (DFI)?

The Doha Film Institute (DFI) is an independent cultural organisation established in 2010 to incorporate Qatar’s film initiatives under one banner.

Located at Qatar’s new cultural hub, Katara, DFI’s many initiatives include film and television funding for MENA and international films, year-round education programs, film screenings, and the annual Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF).

What are DFI’s aims?

  • DFI is dedicated to film appreciation, education, and the creation of a sustainable film industry in Qatar.
  • DFI is committed to supporting the MENA region, and aims to inspire, nurture and empower a new generation of storytellers globally.
  • By both creating and attracting a skilled workforce in this field, DFI aims to fuse local knowledge with global experience, allowing for a visionary and dynamic credibility worldwide.
  • Through cultivation of film culture, appreciation and awareness within Middle East and North Africa, DFI aims to expand the market potential for film investment and distribution within the region.
  • DFI aims to enable wider understanding and appreciation of film and filmmaking in the local community, as well as the creation of original content from the region, access to funding so that filmmakers can make their stories heard, and the viability of DTFF as a platform for emerging and established filmmakers. 

Doha Tribeca Film Festival

Who selects the films that are shown at the DTFF?

The DFI Programming Team comprises Chief Arab Programmer Hania Mroue, Head of International Programming, Ludmila Cvikova, and resident filmmaker and programmer Chadi Zeneddine. The Programming Team also receives advisory support from its cultural partner, Tribeca Enterprises’ Genna Terranova and David Kwok, in addition to other consultants.

What is the Doha Tribeca Film Festival?

The Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF) is DFI’s annual celebration of film that aims to promote cultural understanding through cinema, education and community initiatives.

The result of a strong cultural partnership between DFI and Tribeca Enterprises, DTFF is an international film festival committed to providing an authentic cultural experience for festival-goers, and showcasing Arab films alongside the best of Bollywood, Hollywood and international cinema before both local and international audiences.

DTFF is a community minded international film festival that works with the local community in every facet of Festival programming, including Qatari nationals in the organisation, programming and execution of the Festival. All films shown at the Festival are subtitled in both Arabic and English, aiming to provide full cinematic access for audiences.

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