São Paulo – Brazilian director and producer Walter Salles will be one of the professionals giving master classes at Qumra 2025, an annual cinema talent incubator held by the Doha Film Institute in Qatar. This year’s edition will take place from April 4 to 9 in Doha, the capital of the Arab country.
The Brazilian filmmaker’s latest work is the film I’m Still Here (2024), which earned the last Oscar for Best International Film. It tells the story of a family that lived under Brazil’s military dictatorship. Among other awards, the film won Best Screenplay at the 2024 Venice Film Festival, and the lead actress, Fernanda Torres, received the 2025 Golden Globe for Best Actress.
Other guests giving master classes include Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz, who gained international recognition with Norte, the End of History (2013), and Iranian French cinematographer Darius Khondji, nominated for the 2023 Oscar for Best Cinematography for Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (2022). Also speaking are Mexican costume designer Anna Terrazas, known for Roma (2018), and Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To Kei-Fung, known for Drug War (2012).
Qumra is an initiative dedicated to providing mentorship, nurturing talent, and fostering development for filmmakers from Qatar and beyond. The master classes bring international cinema professionals to share insights. “By sharing their knowledge and experience with our Qumra participants, they will inspire a new generation to refine their craft, and tell bold enduring stories that will shape the future of cinema,” said Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, CEO of the Doha Film Institute, in a statement released by the institution at the end of February.
Mentorship
In addition to the master classes, the incubator features other activities, including a screening of feature films supported by the Doha Film Institute and mentorships offering creative and professional support to directors and producers. This edition will provide this service to 27 feature films, 10 series, and 12 short film projects, totaling 49 projects in development, production, and post-production. These projects come from 20 countries, including Qatar, which has 16 selected films.
Qumra will bring together over 250 industry professionals representing all aspects of the film production and exhibition cycle, Qatari state news agency QNA reported on Wednesday (12). In addition to the in-person program from April 4 to 9, there will be online sessions from April 12 to 14.
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Translated by Guilherme Miranda
