Doha, June 29 (QNA) - The Doha Film Institute (DFI) has awarded grants to 48 film projects from 39 countries in its Spring 2026 funding cycle, reaffirming its support for independent cinema and emerging filmmakers from Qatar, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and beyond.

Announcing the recipients on Monday, the institute said the selected projects include works by Qatari and Qatar-based filmmakers alongside emerging and established directors from across the region and the wider international film community.

The biannual DFI Grants Program, one of the region's longest-running film development initiatives, supports first- and second-time filmmakers worldwide as well as established MENA directors in post-production.

The latest funding round includes projects from Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates. International recipients come from Cuba, Canada, Chile, France, Peru, the Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Spain, Thailand and the United Kingdom.

DFI Chief Executive Officer Fatma Alremaihi said culture remains "one of our most powerful anchors" in a rapidly changing world, preserving memory, shaping identity and connecting generations.

She said the filmmakers selected in the Spring 2026 grants cycle represent "the storytellers of tomorrow", whose work will document the present, challenge perceptions and create a lasting cinematic record for future generations.

"Their work carries the responsibility and the opportunity to document our present, challenge perceptions and create a lasting cinematic record for future generations," she said, adding that the institute remains committed to supporting diverse voices from Qatar, the region and around the world.

The grants cover projects at development, production and post-production stages across feature narratives, documentaries, short films, television series, web series and experimental works.

Qatari projects featured prominently across several categories. In the short narrative development section, grants were awarded to Moments We Lived by Ibrahim Albuainain, Harf Esem: Forced Landing by Mohammed A. Al Suwaidi and Spooky Saeko, a Qatar-China co-production directed by Alhanoof Mubarak Alnaemi.

Other Qatari-backed projects receiving support include feature narratives such as Bayt Rabab, About Love & September Laws and When Blood Calls, documentaries including Land Keepers, Searching for Nidal, Voy y Vuelvo (I'll Be Right Back) and Before Our Diaspora, as well as production-stage projects including Accept My Plea for Burial, The Tanjawi, Blue Card and Faux Bijoux.

Among the Qatari productions supported in the short narrative production category are Qadar by Aisha Al Khanji and Intuition by Aysha Alabdulla.

The program also backed a range of non-MENA projects in post-production, including feature films Haven of Hope, Strawberries, 9 Temples to Heaven, The Rift and Ben'Imana, alongside documentaries such as Magnetic Letters, Az Zeeb, The Lions of Canaan and The Hummingbird Paints Fragrant Songs.

DFI said the Spring 2026 grants reflect its continued commitment to supporting independent film-making, encouraging international co-productions and strengthening Qatar's position as a regional and global hub for cinema and creative storytelling. (QNA)