Doha Film Festival to Showcase Four Qatari Features at Pivotal Moment for Domestic Industry

The Doha Film Festival will showcase four Qatari films and one original series at its upcoming November edition, at a critical moment for the local film and television industry. The feature films include Jodari Manou, directed by Jamal Al-Khanji; Very Ordinary Life, directed by Mohamed Deniz; First Flight, directed by Rodrigo Vázquez Salsi; and When […]

Qatar's Doha Film Festival will showcase four Qatari films and one original series in its upcoming edition in November, in a watershed moment for the local film and television industry.

The feature films Jodari Menu by Jamal Al-Khanji, Very Ordinary Life by Mohammad Deniz, The First Flight by Rodrigo Vazquez Thalassi and When Akhbar To Says by Hamad Al-Hajri will be screened as special screenings.

Sidebar also features Elzam, produced by Jassim Al Romaihi and Ahmed Al Baker as an original series from Katara Studios.

These Qatari productions join 15 previously announced feature films that will play in international competition, and the full festival lineup will be unveiled in the coming weeks. Watch on Deadline

It is the largest volume of local features to be unveiled in a year since Qatar began its mission to build a film and television business with the launch of the Doha Film Institute in 2010.

Jodari Menu follows director Al Khanji's quest to land a world record dog tuna. What begins as an extreme pursuit becomes an intimate journey into obsession, mortality and the search for meaning.

The film was supported by The Film House Originals, Alkhanji Enterprise, Doha Film Institute, Al Jazeera Documentary and Media City Qatar.

Denise's Very Ordinary Life is a Qatar-Moroccan production produced by Abdulrahim Al-Sadiqi and Bouchera Malek. It is the story of a retired Qatari pilot and a young Moroccan art teacher who are unconsciously drawn to each other through dreams, letters and a buried secret.

First to Fly by Rodrigo Vázquez Salsi follows two young gymnasts who became the first athletes in the history of Qatar and their respective countries to compete in the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships.

When the News Brings You is a production that examines the realities faced by journalists working across the Middle East. It examines the challenges facing journalists reporting from war and conflict zones, and the personal cost of bringing stories from the region to audiences around the world.

Zazam is an eight-part documentary series that follows a group of falconers on a hunting trip, documenting traditions that have long been a source of pride in Qatar, the Persian Gulf and the Arab world.

Jodari Menu and When the News Breaks You both received funding through the Doha Film Institute grant program and participated in mentoring activities at Qumra 2025.

Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, director of the Doha Film Festival, said: "This is a watershed moment for Qatar's film and creative industries. The presentation of four feature films and an original series from Qatar at the Doha Film Festival is a powerful reflection of the progress of our creative ecosystem. These projects demonstrate Qatar's increasingly meaningful role in empowering ambitious global stories and supporting the talent behind them."

Jodari Menu's three films, A Very Ordinary Life and First to Fly – were supported by Qatar Media City, the government-backed media, innovation and technology center in Doha.

Hamad Omar Al-Manai, the CEO of this hub, said: "It is very good that not one but three films supported by Media City have been selected to be screened in the special screenings program of the Doha Film Festival 2026.

“What makes this particularly exciting is that the Doha Film Festival gives filmmakers from Qatar and the wider region a global platform to help their stories reach audiences around the world. It's also a testament to the strength of the media ecosystem we're building with partners like the Doha Film Institute and the opportunities it creates for media growth in Qatar and the region.”

The Doha Film Festival will be held from November 19 to 27 with key partners including Katara, Media City Qatar, Film Committee and Visit Qatar.

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