Doha Film Festival Unveils Competition Lineup, With Emphasis on Gaza and Regional Fare

The upcoming Doha Film Festival has unveiled its competition lineup, characterized by a strong regional component and an accent on the Palestinian plight.

As previously announced, the Middle East premiere of Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania’s politically charged drama “The Voice of Hind Rajab” is set as the out-of-competition opener of the event’s inaugural edition, which will run Nov. 20–28 in the Qatari capital.

“The Voice of Hind Rajab,” which tells the true story of a 5-year-old Palestinian girl who was stranded in a car that was attacked by Israeli forces in Gaza and later found dead, recently won Venice Film Festival’s Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize. The film is supported by the Doha Film Institute (DFI), as are most titles in the Doha Film Festival’s 13-title competition.

Also featuring Palestine are Doha fest competition entries “Once Upon a Time in Gaza,” directed by Palestinian directorial duo Tarzan and Arab Nasser, which world premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard and won the best directing prize; and Kamal Aljafari’s doc “With Hasan in Gaza,” that premiered in competition in Locarno.

Other standout titles in the competition strand include “The President’s Cake” from Iraqi filmmaker Hasan Hadi, about a young school girl chosen to bake a celebratory dessert in observation of Saddam Hussein’s birthday, which won this year’s Cannes Camera d’Or award; “Khartotum,” the potent doc about five residents forced to flee the Sudanese capital’s conflict that launched from Sundance; and Iranian director Ali Asgari’s dark comedy about Iranian film censorship, “Divine Comedy.”

“These powerful artistic expressions represent the creativity and resilience of humanity and demonstrate the capability of film to shape the future of our societies,” said Doha Film Institute CEO Fatma Hassan Alremaihi in a statement. “Through these stories that engage empathy, reflection and connection, we are creating safe spaces for meaningful dialogue to counter prevailing narratives.”

Just as the tiny Arab state, rich in oil and gas, diversifies from the energy sector into cultural and media and entertainment — as attested by broadcaster Al Jazeera and the 2022 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament — the DFI has steadily grown into a crucial cornerstone of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region film industry.

The upcoming Doha Film Festival transforms the DFI’s existing Ajyal Film Festival, dedicated to youth and family-friendly cinema, into a more ambitious international event for a broader audience. It will have four competition strands: international feature film competition, short film competition, the Ajyal film competition (judged by the festival’s unique youth jury) and the Made in Qatar competition, dedicated to projects made in Qatar regardless of the director’s provenance.

The top prizes to be dished out will be best narrative, worth $75,000; documentary, worth $50,000; artistic achievement, worth $45,000; and the gender-neutral performance acting award, worth $15,000.

The new festival will take place in various locations across Doha including the Katara Cultural Village, Msheireb Downtown Doha and the Museum of Islamic Art.

See the full Doha Film Festival competition lineup below.

“Khartoum,” Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy Ahmad, Timeea Mohamed Ahmed and Philip Cox

“Cotton Queen,” Suzannah Mirghani

“Once Upon a Time in Gaza,” Tarzan and Arab Nasser

“With Hassan in Gaza,” Kamal Aljafari

“The President’s Cake,” Hasan Hadi

“My Father and Qaddafi,” Jihan K

“Renoir,” Chie Hayakawa

“Sleepless City,” Guillermo García López

“The Last Shore,” Jean-Francois Ravagnan

“The Reserve,” Pablo Pérez Lombardini

“Divine Comedy,” Ali Asgari

“Hair, Paper, Water,” Truong Minh Quý and Nicolas Graux

“Blue Heron,” Sophy Romvari