Doha Film Institute announces 2021 Spring Grants for 32 film projects

Doha: The Doha Film Institute (DFI) today announced the recipients of its 2021 Spring Grants cycle that supports first- and second-time filmmakers from around the world. A total of 32 film projects by emerging and established filmmakers from the Arab region and globally have been selected for the Institute’s leading financing initiative, which supports new voices in cinema and the development of universally resonant stories. 

DFI’s Spring Grants 2021 recipients covers a wide range of film productions that include feature, documentary, short film, and TV series with 28 projects from the Middle East and North Africa, including three from Qatar, underlining its role as a strong advocate of powerful Arab cinema and emerging talent. Four film projects in this cycle are from the non-MENA region representing France, India and Mexico.  Two projects are by directors who have proved their mettle with their first films - Farah Nabulsi, whose film The Present, supported by DFI, was nominated for the 2021 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short and won the Best British Short BAFTA; and documentary filmmaker, producer, and scriptwriter Hala Alabdalla, whose intense documentary I Am the One who Brings Flowers to her Grave gained critical acclaim at several international film festivals including Venice. Reflecting the growing prominence of Arab women in film, 14 projects are helmed by women filmmakers that represent the bold new energy of creative talent in the MENA region.