Venice: Doha Film Institute (DFI) has broken the record with 12 supported films selected for the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, slated for Aug. 27 until Sept. 9, 2025, in a move to cement the DFI’s status as a driving force in global cinema. Among these masterpieces, there is a film nominated for the Golden Lion Award, as well as several world premieres featured in the festival’s prominent sections. The lineup also includes projects by two Qatari female directors, reflecting the Institute’s strong presence and affirming its pivotal role in shaping the contours of independent cinema worldwide.
According to Qatar News Agency, the festival sections include the Official Competition, Critics’ Week, Authors’ Days, Final Cut, and the Venice Production Bridge, underscoring the Institute’s unwavering commitment to supporting authentic storytelling with cross-border impact and empowering independent filmmakers. The selected films demonstrate the depth, diversity, and growing significance of the Institute-sup
ported works on the global stage, presented by emerging voices and outstanding international directors.
CEO of DFI, Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, stated: “This landmark presence of 12 DFI-supported films at Venice is a powerful testament to our mission of elevating compelling, courageous storytelling from voices that are too often unheard. These films carry the weight of truth, resilience, and vision, and they speak across borders, cultures, and perspectives. What makes this year’s selection even more special is the inclusion of homegrown talent from Qatar, a proud reflection of the creative excellence emerging from our own community. Our role is not just to support filmmakers, but to champion stories that challenge, inspire, and ultimately expand the global cinematic conversation. This milestone reaffirms DFI’s impact on shaping a more balanced and representative film landscape.”
Official selection of movies for the Golden Lion features the world premiere of “The Voice of Hind Rajab” by award-winning filmmaker K
aouther Ben Hania, which offers a searing portrayal of five-year-old Hind Rajab, killed by Israeli forces alongside her family. This is literally a global screening at this festival and a strong condemnation of the devastating human cost of the war.
Screening ‘Out of Competition’ in the Non-Fiction category is “My Father and Qaddafi” by Jihan K, a deeply personal chronicling of the filmmaker’s journey to uncover the truth behind her father’s disappearance during the Qaddafi regime.
As for Giornate degli Autori (Venice Days), DFI is set to participate with “Memory” by Vladlena Sandu, a cinematic reckoning with the traumas of the Chechen war, as the filmmaker reclaims her past through art, alongside “A Sad and Beautiful World” by Cyril Aris, a decades-spanning love story set against Beirut’s shifting landscape of tragedy and resilience, as well as “Do You Love Me” by Lana Daher, which explores Lebanese identity through seven decades of pop culture, politics, and collective memory.
For Settimana della Critica
(Critics’ Week), the film “Cotton Queen” by Suzannah Mirghani will be screened. It follows teenage Nafisa, who becomes the center of a power struggle over genetically modified seeds to determine the future of her village, blending ecological critique with coming-of-age drama.
This is in addition to “Roqia” by Yanis Koussim, set in 1993, which explores trauma and healing through a dual-timeline story of amnesia, exorcism, and generational fear.
Final Cut in Venice includes two DFI-backed projects screened as part of Venice’s industry platform for films from Africa and select MENA regions in post-production, namely “The Station” [Al Mahatta] by Sara Ishaq, set in a women-only petrol station in war-torn Yemen, where three siblings confront impossible choices, and “Untitled Project from Yemen” by Mariam Al Dhubhani, a raw documentary exploring survival, memory, and the fragility of home amid conflict.
In Venice Production Bridge, three DFI-supported films are selected for this vital co-production and financing
platform, namely “Sound of Silence” by Joyce A. Nashawati, a chilling horror set in 1970s Greece, where two young women encounter a death cult while seeking refuge in a convent. Also coming to the screen is “Tarfaya” by Sofia Alaoui, a sci-fi fable about an epidemic that causes people to fall into deep sleep, prompting a search for truth and human connection, as well as “The Missing Camel” by Cheikh N’Diaye, which fuses folklore and politics in a man’s quest to reclaim his royal lineage while confronting colonial legacies.
With this bold and diverse selection, DFI not only marks a milestone in its Venice journey, but it also reiterates its global role as a catalyst for transformative cinema. By amplifying stories from regions often overlooked by mainstream media, the Institute continues to champion bold, resonant voices that redefine the global storytelling landscape.