Introduction to the Doha Film Festival
The Doha Film Festival has announced its selection of five feature films for the international competition at its inaugural edition. One of the selected films is Chie Hayakawa’s "Renoir", which will be screened along with four other titles from November 20th to 28th in various locations, including the Katara Cultural Village, the Msheireb Downtown Doha, and the Museum of Islamic Art.
Selected Films for the International Competition
The films chosen for the international feature film competition include:
- "Renoir" by Chie Hayakawa
- "Sleepless City" by Guillermo Garcia Lopez
- "The Last Shore" by Jean-Francois Ravagnan
- "The Reserve" by Pablo Perez Lombardini
- "Divine Comedy" by Ali Asgari
About the Films
"Renoir" is set in Tokyo in 1987 and tells the story of a quirky and sensitive 11-year-old girl who deals with a terminally ill father and a stressed-out working mother. The film premiered in competition at Cannes this year and has since been screened at several festivals, including Karlovy Vary, Toronto, and Busan. "Sleepless City" premiered in Cannes Critics Week, while "The Last Shore" premiered in Visions du Reel, "The Reserve" in Ventana Sur, and "Divine Comedy" in the Horizons section of Venice.
Doha Film Institute’s Support
The Doha Film Institute (DFI) has provided funding for four of the selected films – "Renoir", "Sleepless City", "The Last Shore", and "The Reserve" – through its grant program. Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, festival director and CEO of the DFI, stated, “The films in the International Feature Film Competition share a deep commitment to authentic storytelling and reflect our shared belief in the transformative power of film.”
Festival Details
The Doha Film Festival will offer competition prizes worth over $300,000 in four competition areas. The festival will open with Kaouther Ben Hania’s "The Emptiness of Hind Rajab". Further films for the first edition of the festival will be announced in the coming weeks.
Full List of Selected Films
- "Renoir" (Japan-France-Singapore-Philippines-Indonesia-Qatar), directed by Chie Hayakawa
- "Sleepless City" (Spain-France-Qatar)
- "The Last Shore" (Belgium-France-Qatar)
- "The Reserve" (Mexico-Qatar)
- "Divine Comedy" (Iran-Italy-France-Germany-Turkey)
