29 recipients of DFI’s 2023 Spring Grants cycle announced at Cannes fest
THE Doha Film Institute (DFI) underlined its commitment to nurturing emerging voices in cinema from across the world at the Cannes Film Festival 2023 with the announcement of the recipients of its 2023 Spring Grants cycle on Saturday. A total of 29 films from 18 countries have been selected for the current cycle of the Middle East region’s longestserving film development initiative which has supported more than 750 diverse projects from 75 countries to date.
Awarded in two cycles – Spring and Fall -- the Institute Grants programme has evolved as one of the flagship filmfunding initiatives focused on strengthening a vibrant creative ecosystem and supporting emerging voices from all over the world to help them realise their cinematic aspirations. The Grants support projects including feature and short narratives, documentaries and experimentals as well as TV series.
In addition to Qatar, recipients of the 2023 Spring Grants include film projects from Algeria, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Egypt, Lebanon, Mongolia, Morocco, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sudan and Tunisia.
Recipients include 12 women filmmakers and 10 returning grantees along with four projects from Qatar-based talent, underlining the Institute’s commitment to supporting important voices and the continued evolution of independent cinema from the region and beyond.
Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, chief executive officer of the DFI, said: “Our Spring Grants 2023 reinforces our continued commitment to filmmakers globally who have once again impressed us with the diversity and depth of the original themes they are exploring in their stories.”
2023 SPRING GRANTS RECIPIENTS
MENA – Feature Narrative – Development: Kohl & Cardamom (Egypt, Sweden, Qatar) by Fady Atallah; Rabies (Lebanon, Qatar) by Sandra Tabet; and To Bled or Not to Bled (France, Algeria, Qatar) by Azedine Kasri.
MENA – Feature Narrative – Production: A Quarter to Thursday in Algiers (Algeria, France, Belgium, Qatar) by Sofia Djama; Aïcha (Tunisia, France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar) by Mehdi M Barsaoui; Aisha Can’t Fly Away Anymore (Egypt, Tunisia, Qatar) by Morad Mostafa; and La mer au loin (France, Qatar) by Saïd Hamich Benlarbi.
MENA – Feature Narrative – Post-Production: Back to Alexandria (Switzerland, France, Qatar) by Tamer Ruggli; and East of Noon (Egypt, Netherlands, Qatar) by Hala Elkoussy.
Non-MENA – Feature Narrative – Post-Production: Banel & Adama (France, Senegal, Mali, Qatar) by Ramata-Toulaye Sy; Excursion (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Norway, France, Qatar) by Una Gunjak; Lost Country (France, Serbia, Luxembourg, Croatia, Qatar) by Vladimir Perišić; The Women (Germany, Italy, Qatar) by The Maw Naing; and Ze (France, Mongolia, Netherlands, Germany, Qatar) by Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir.
MENA – Feature – Experimental/Essay – Development: Tell it to Bridges (Lebanon, Qatar) by Ali Hammoud. MENA – Feature Documentary – Production: I Am One of Them (Poland, Qatar) by Nadim Suleiman. MENA – Feature Documentary – Post-Production: The Language of Fire (Algeria, France, Qatar) by Tarek Sami.
Non-MENA – Feature Documentary – Post-Production: Ozogoche (Ecuador, Qatar) by Joe Houlberg; and Rising Up at Night (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Belgium, Germany, Burkina Faso, Qatar) by Nelson Makengo.
MENA – TV Series – Development: Dyouf (Guests) (Palestine, Qatar) by Saleh Saadi; and Halaa’ (Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar) by Amal Al Muftah. MENA – Web Series – Production: The House That My Mother Built (Sudan, Qatar) by Alyaa Musa.
MENA – Shorts – Narrative – Production: Autumn (Qatar) by Aisha Al-Jaidah; The Experiment (Qatar) by Abdulla Alhor; and The Day I Smoked a Cigarette with My Father (Egypt, France, Qatar) by Sameh Alaa.
MENA – Shorts Documentary – Production: Fast Net Palestine by Mohamed Khamkham.
MENA – Shorts – Experimental/Essay – Production: No Reaching Hand by Batla Aldosari; L’mina by Rande Maroufi; and The Grocery List by Taqwa Ali.