The Doha Film Institute has announced the gala and special screenings program for the 2026 edition of the Doha Film Festival, putting a diverse collection of Arab and international cinema center stage. The festival’s latest iteration embraces a rich tapestry of voices, opening its screens to narratives deeply intertwined with memory, identity, and human struggle, spanning from Gaza and Lebanon to Mauritania and India.
The curated roster features critically acclaimed narrative features and documentaries alongside ambitious cinematic journeys of adventure, drama, and imagination.
Arab cinema maintains a powerful presence through compelling works addressing regional crises and transformations, most notably Rami Kadhi’s Lebanese drama Fury, Life Support centered on Gaza, Edward Said: Out of Place, and Mauritian auteur Abderrahmane Sissako’s Artu.
Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, Chief Executive Officer of the Doha Film Institute and Festival Director, noted that the gala and special screenings offer audiences a dedicated space for cinema that sparks emotion and drives conversation.
She pointed out that the selected works range from urgent dramas and topical documentaries to stories blending humor, adventure, and discovery.
Alremaihi added that these films invite viewers to examine diverse perspectives, ponder meaningful questions, and forge connections with stories that linger long after the credits roll.
Arab Cinema Takes Center Stage
Among the high-profile gala presentations, Lebanese director Rami Kadhi makes his MENA premiere with Fury. The film follows Maro, a single mother grappling with Lebanon’s economic collapse, who urgently needs her savings to fund her sister Dalia’s life-saving surgery.
When the bank refuses to release the funds, the sisters resort to planning a high-stakes heist over a single night to reclaim what they believe is rightfully theirs.
James Gray’s American feature Paper Tiger receives its MENA premiere, transporting audiences to 1980s New York City.
The story follows two brothers in pursuit of the American dream before their soaring ambitions entangle them with the Russian mob, unleashing corruption and violence that threaten both their family and their bond.
Meanwhile, French filmmaker Bruno Dumont’s Red Rocks makes its MENA debut, capturing the sun-drenched atmosphere of the French Riviera through the rivalries of children’s groups competing in perilous cliff-jumping contests.
Australian director Jeffrey Walker rounds out the gala selection with the world premiere of Fungi. The narrative centers on young Myrtle Meek, whose twelfth birthday wish for a mysterious creature named Fungi sends her father deep into remote jungles on an unpredictable adventure.
Edward Said Remembered
A standout in the documentary program is Myken Baird’s Edward Said: Out of Place, marking its Middle East premiere.
More than two decades after his passing, the film revisits the legacy of the prominent Palestinian-American intellectual, musician, and academic, tracing milestones in his life and thought while probing a fundamental question regarding humanity’s right to narrate its own story and dictate how its memory is preserved.
The Palestinian lens remains prominent in Daniel Roher’s Life Support, which makes its MENA premiere. The documentary captures the realities of international physicians and medical volunteers who reached Gaza hospitals following October 2023, drawing heavily on footage shot by doctors on their phones to deliver an unvarnished human testament to medical work under extreme conditions.
Sissako Dives into 360-Degree Filmmaking
The special screenings feature Abderrahmane Sissako’s Artu, his first-ever 360-degree film, receiving its Middle East premiere.
The project tracks three sisters and three brothers traveling from Europe to Mauritania to fulfill their late father’s final wish: to be buried alongside his father in his ancestral village.
Ginevra Elkann’s Paradise also joins the special screenings for its Middle East debut, examining the life of Leila, a housekeeper living in a luxurious estate whose stability is upended by an unexpected visit from her sister, unearthing a past and secrets long kept behind closed doors.
Filmmaker Ali El Arabi unveils his debut narrative feature, 52 Blue, in its MENA premiere.
The film follows Ashish, an isolated young man who dreams of meeting his idol Lionel Messi during the World Cup in Qatar, leading him to deceive his family and embark on a journey that takes him from his rural roots in Kerala, India, to working at one of the tournament’s stadiums.
A Cinema Embracing Diverse Experiences
Overall, the program reflects a curatorial vision bridging crowd-pleasing cinematic spectacles with highly distinctive art-house experiments, anchored by a strong showing of Arab stories alongside international works exploring family, identity, memory, and self-discovery.
A selection of these films receives backing from the QFC Media City Qatar Film Committee, reinforcing production support and cultivating Qatar’s status as a burgeoning hub for filmmaking and regional and international cinematic expression.
