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• Five Qatari filmmakers to attend bespoke programme of workshops, meetings and events in Cannes to further their professional development
• Twelve films to be presented at the Cannes Short Film Corner in a special ‘Made in Qatar’ programme
• Five Doha Film Institute grantees to premiere in official selection and sidebar sections

Doha, Qatar; May 10, 2015: Five emerging Qatari filmmakers will attend the 68th edition of the Cannes Film Festival (May 13 – 24) as part of the Doha Film Institute’s delegation attending the world’s leading film gathering, to participate in a series of workshops, meetings, advisory sessions and events designed to further their filmmaking careers.

Ali Al Ansari, Mohamed Al Mahmeed, Yousef Al Modhadi, Amal Al Muftah and Maryam Al Sahli will participate in a range of sessions designed to propel their current projects to the next stage and assist them in achieving their goals in the international film market.

The Institute will also present the work of 12 Qatar- based filmmakers in a special ‘Made in Qatar’ programme at the Cannes Short Film Corner including Maryam Al Sahli’s ‘TBoy’ and Yousef Al Modhadi’s ‘10%’ winner of the Made in Qatar Award at the 2nd Ajyal Youth Film Festival in December 2014. This marks the Institute’s fifth year of participation in the Short Film Corner, a section of the festival dedicated to showcasing films from more than 90 countries to thousands of accredited industry guests, festival selectors and short film industry specialists. Several of the 12 short films were made through the Doha Film Institute’s education initiatives, in addition to independent productions by Qatari nationals and those who call Qatar home.

Filmmaker Maryam Al Sahli said: “I’m really excited to have the opportunity to experience one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world. This will be my first time at Cannes, which can be a little intimidating, but I am glad that I will be there with a group of my Qatari filmmaking colleagues which I am sure will make this experience even more rewarding. It will be great exposure to have my film “TBoy” screening at the short film corner and I am looking forward to watching films, meeting other established and independent filmmakers, and utilising my time in Cannes to develop my future project which is currently under development.”

Doha Film Institute CEO, Fatma Al Remaihi said: “Cannes is the ultimate gathering of the world’s film industry and we are proud to represent Qatar at this important platform for the fifth year running. I look forward to celebrating the success of our Qatari filmmakers and Institute grantees with the international film community and, in particular, to supporting our group of five talented Qatari filmmakers. I am confident that this experience will contribute to their creative and professional development.”

Films supported by the Doha Film Institute’s grants programme are strongly represented in the Festival this year with a total of five grantees making their world premiere in various sections. They are: Waves ’98 by Elie Dagher (Lebanon, Qatar) competing in the Official Short Film Competition; Dégradé by Tarzan and Arab Abunasser (Palestine, France, Qatar) and Mediterranea by Jonas Carpignano (Italy, France, Germany, Qatar) in the Critics’ Week sidebar which is dedicated to showcasing innovative works by new filmmakers; Lamb by Yared Zeleke (Ethiopia, France, Qatar) in the main world cinema showcase, Un Certain Regard; and Mustang by Deniz Gamze Ergüven (Turkey, France, Germany, Qatar) selected for the prestigious Directors’ Fortnight sidebar.