21/03/2018 - At a press conference with Qumra organisers Fatma Al Remaihi, Elia Suleiman and Hanaa Issa, the trio discussed topics such as the new challenges that arise for them each year

Fatma Al Remaihi, Hanaa Issa and Elia Suleiman with actress Tilda Swinton at this year's edition of Qumra

During a press conference held as part of the fourth edition of Qumra, which ran from 9-14 March in Doha, Qatar, and which is organised by the Doha Film Institute (DFI), the team behind the successful industry initiative, Fatma Al Remaihi, CEO of the DFI and director of Qumra; Elia Suleiman, artistic advisor at the DFI; and Hanaa Issa, director of Strategy and Development and deputy director at Qumra, discussed issues such as the new challenges that they face each year, the future of TV drama development and the relationship that has blossomed with European partners.

You have now reached your fourth edition; what has been your strategy so far?
Elia Suleiman: In a way, we do not come with a strategy; the only policy we have is not to strategise. We prefer to ignite something and then let it float, and we always hope for the best. That means that we prefer to take the risk of making Qumra feel more fresh. Our defence mechanism acts against repetition and taking things for granted.

What is the procedure you follow when selecting your Masters each year?
Fatma Al Remaihi: The common thing that connects all of the Masters is their generosity with the filmmakers and with the audience. They are willing to share anything they can and impart their knowledge.
ES: They also know that they are not conducting a master class at a festival. The Masters know that they are here to help the young generation of filmmakers. So it is taken for granted that they are coming to serve this purpose and answer all possible questions – that is the whole core of Qumra.
Hanaa Issa: One of our Masters, Gianfranco Rosi, mentioned during his Master Class that this was a conversation, and this is the feeling we want to create. Also, each of the Masters chooses four projects to mentor and shares their knowledge with our participants.

As Qumra has a purely cinematic background, even if it is not a festival, do you think that you would also be open to embracing TV dramas in the future?
FAR: We see that TV series have increased their level of quality both in terms of narration and production, and it’s definitely one of the most popular formats in our region. For that reason, the DFI started to have some labs focused on TV and web series. I don’t know if Qumra will be ready to focus on that imminently, but series could be represented somehow in the next few editions; that’s a possibility. We had a focus on virtual reality, for example, which we embraced at this edition and which is of interest to filmmakers, content creators and the audience in general.
HI: I believe that Qumra will follow this evolution. By having the labs as a first step, we supported local talents who focused on mini and web series. This was an experiment for us, as we didn’t know the projects beforehand. A new world of talents covering the whole region is opening up, and we are very pleasantly surprised. We are definitely interested in this, and we want to play a role when the time is right. The DFI is planning to continue its exploration of this field, later on probably with funds, and then with Qumra. We should note that Qumra is not the starting point; it serves as the final stage for the projects.
ES: We’ve always tried to avoid “festivalising” the concept behind Qumra, to stop it from becoming a festival, even though the core of it is absolutely cinematic. I think we are open to other formats and appropriating other visual expressions, rather than just pretending that we are a bunch of cinephiles – that’s a false notion. I think other forms of expression will be welcomed, especially if they retain their cinematic language. As Tilda Swinton mentioned in her Master Class (see the news), if something can be seen on a small screen, that doesn’t necessarily prohibit it from being screened at the cinema, and this is also our idea. I also hope that in the future, the constructive TV language will also enhance cinematic storytelling.

As at every edition of Qumra, this year there has also been a major focus on Europe, in terms of the Masters invited, the participating projects funded by the DFI, and the guests. How do you see this relationship?
FAR: This relationship comes naturally, thanks to the proximity of Europe to our region. Also, the interest that we receive is always on the rise, and we had co-productions from early on. Europe has always been one of the main sources for us to find new talents, and every year, it is our strongest hub from where we attract our professionals. Also, many European projects are looking for talents from our region, so it is totally reciprocal. This connection between the regions already existed even before the launch of Qumra, and it doesn’t come as a surprise now. Certainly, Qumra aims to facilitate and develop this synergy now and in the future.
HI: We should note that we also have strong collaborations with other regions. For example, many of our guests this year, including one of our Masters, come from North America, and among others, we have representatives from Sundance and Netflix. Qumra is an open platform – the world is our oyster!

How important is your role in forging new connections?
HI: We are trying to connect all of the pieces, so that the professionals can get involved in the various different aspects and labs that the DFI offers. We want to offer a coherent relationship with our participants, which may start with a writing lab, for example, and then applying for grants, followed by the producer’s lab or even coming to Qumra afterwards. There’s a lot of work that takes place beforehand.

Does this also work on a local level for your audience?
FAR: Building an audience is part of Qumra’s evolution. We recognise the loyal cinephiles that attend the screenings, the talks and the Master Classes. The engagement gets higher and higher every year, as we issue more than 100 Qumra Pass badges for those who don’t have a project. We are discovering more talents and are attracting more people, and this is exciting for us.
HI: We don’t operate as a business; we operate as a cultural organisation. We have to be creative and “seduce” our audience and persuade them to trust our choices, and this is extremely important for what the DFI stands for.

What have you learned from your previous editions?
ES: We have learned nothing! Ever since our first edition, we have been evaluating what was right or wrong, and this has worked so far, so basically, Qumra is going to improve infinitely. We are not learning much; we are always alert to the details and how to make progress every day. We want to reduce the complaints coming from our guests – not only the Masters – to zero, and make sure that everyone is satisfied when leaving Qumra. We never stand still; we always reignite our inspiration.
HI: We take notes during the event and discuss everything the very day after we finish. There is always a cycle of learning that is obsessively curated. It is important to us that we can still introduce new things to the industry, and be accepted and valued.