Doha Film Institute bows Doha Projects

LONDON -- The Doha Film Institute has launched industry program Doha Projects to support and nurture emerging Arab filmmakers who have received film grants from the org. The program, which will unspool during the Doha Tribeca Film Festival at the end of the month, see more than 100 international industryites participate in the four-day program, which will lead DFI grantees through a series of one-on-one meetings, plenary sessions, panels and networking events with bizzers relevant to the region. Participants include Fortissimo Films topper Michael J. Werner, Egyptian producer and founder of Film Clinic Mohamed Hefzy, Louverture Films topper Joslyn Barnes and producer and Wild Bunch head of acquisitions. The initiative will build upon DFI's film financing division, which was launched in May, to provide financial support for Middle Eastern and North African filmmakers, and link projects with mentors and financiers for long-term support. Amanda Palmer, DFI exec director, said that the initiative was not only the next natural step toward building a strong regional infrastructure to support Arab storytellers, but also an important strategic movie for opening up the MENA region as a viable market for international film production and distribution. "With the launch of Doha Projects, we hope to really take our relationship with regional filmmakers beyond finance, and into a realm where we can have long-term impacts on their development," she said. "There is no doubt that we believe in these filmmakers and their stories and as a financier we have a responsibility to ensure that films are not only made, but made to their full potentials -- that means from creative, authentic and business perspectives." Contact Diana Lodderhose at diana.lodderhose@variety.com