Doha Film Festival debuts with a bold vision for global cinema

The inaugural Doha Film Festival has officially kicked off, marking a major new chapter in the region’s cultural landscape.

Over the next week, the festival will screen 97 films from 62 countries, a lineup that signals a bold ambition to broaden cinematic diversity and amplify underrepresented voices on a global stage.

Nearly half of all the films are directed by women, and 24 have been supported by the Doha Film Institute. Qatari filmmaker and festival programmer Majid Al-Remaihi says the curation reflects both the world’s current cultural moment and the urgency of today’s most vibrant storytellers.

"Myself, alongside the committee, we work together in terms of understanding how the festival positions itself regionally, how the films that we select are both somehow reflecting a kind of moment in which the world is going through. As well as highlighting the most vibrant and urgent voices of cinema," he told Euronews.

The festival has also drawn major international names, with directors Steven Soderbergh and Jim Sheridan attending alongside actor Ramy Youssef.

Opening night features The Voice of Hind Rajab, a powerful true story about a five-year-old Palestinian girl trapped in a car under Israeli fire. The film, which won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize in Venice, is now making its Middle East premiere in Doha.