Art & Culture

Everything You Need to Know About Doha Film Festival 2025

BYMeriem Belhiba

November 20, 2025

The 2025 Doha Film Festival opens today, kicking off nine days of screenings, premieres and cultural events across Katara Cultural Village, Msheireb Downtown Doha, the Museum of Islamic Art and Lusail Boulevard. This year’s edition lands as Qatar enters its busiest fall season yet — a lineup that includes Doha Comedy 2025, the country’s first UFC Octagon event, the Qatar Formula 1 Grand Prix, and the FIFA Arab Cup— placing the capital firmly at the heart of a rapidly expanding cultural scene across the Gulf.

Speaking at the programme launch, Festival Director and DFI CEO Fatma Hassan Alremaihi said this years’ focus is on bringing audiences closer through the shared experience of film. “At the heart of Doha Film Festival is connection — the conversations we share, the emotions we feel, and the ways cinema reminds us of our humanity,” she said. “With 97 films from 62 countries, the programme amplifies voices that too often go unheard, offering audiences new perspectives and shared human experiences.”

As audiences begin to fill venues across Doha, the contours of this year’s festival are coming into focus. Here’s what defines the 2025 edition.

A Powerful Opening Aligned with the Festival’s Themes

This year’s festival opens with Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab, a film that has already drawn international attention thanks to backing from Brad Pitt and Joaquin Phoenix. The drama reconstructs the final moments of six-year-old Hind Rajab, who was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in early 2024, using the child’s real audio recording as she begged for help. Its selection as the opening film makes a clear statement: DFF 2025 intends to engage directly with the region’s most urgent political and humanitarian realities.

For Festival Director Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, choosing this film was both a cinematic and moral decision. “Her voice is still very loud and very strong,” Alremaihi said. “She’s a loss that is continually talked about and still being investigated. It’s fresh in our minds.”

A Diverse Programme Spanning 62 Countries

This year’s edition features 97 films, including 24 supported by DFI and 48 directed by women. The International Feature Film Competition brings together 13 titles, with 12 receiving their Middle East and North Africa premieres in Doha. Films such as The President’s Cake, Once Upon a Time in Gaza, Khartoum, and Divine Comedy reflect the competition’s commitment to bold, socially engaged storytelling from the region and beyond.

The International Short Film Competition draws from a record 1,600 submissions worldwide. Its 20 selected shorts, including the Palme d’Or winner I’m Glad You’re Dead Now, highlight the immediacy and innovation of filmmakers experimenting with new forms. Parallel to these, the Ajyal Film Competition continues its mission of empowering young audiences, inviting a youth jury aged 16–25 to select winners from a programme of five features and eleven shorts.

Spotlight on Homegrown Talent: Made in Qatar

The “Made in Qatar” section remains one of the festival’s most anticipated showcases, featuring 10 new short films by Qatari and Qatar-based filmmakers. This year’s selection explores themes ranging from family conflict and personal loss to futuristic threats and generational change. Among the standout titles are Al-Aqiq: Darkness of Virtuality, a speculative story set in a Gulf city menaced by a cyber-extremist group; Baba is Melting, a quiet confrontation between a father and son; Is This a Sign?, a wedding-day comedy of errors; Project Aisha, which follows a mother taking extreme measures to protect her daughter; and Theatre of Dreams, which revisits the early days of Qatar’s women’s national football team. Filmmaker Eiman Mirghani’s Villa 187 offers a reflective, personal portrait of leaving a longtime home in Doha.

The jury for this section is chaired by actress and director Afef Ben Mahmoud, with Fahad Al-Kuwari and Alaa Alasad joining to recognise this new wave of local storytelling talent.

Special Screenings and Notable Guests

Doha will host an impressive array of filmmakers, artists and activists, including Steven Soderbergh, Jim Sheridan, Ramy Youssef, Michaela Coel, Hazal Kaya, Engin Altan Düzyatan, Jassim Al Nabhan, Dorra Zarrouk, Saleh Bakri, and Hiam Abbas. The festival’s special screenings highlight themes of courage and artistic integrity. They include Soderbergh’s The Christophers, Sheridan’s Re-Creation, Andy Mundy-Castle’s Shoot the People, Yasser Ashour’s My Story, and an invitation-only screening of Palestine 36 by Annemarie Jacir. The world premiere of Sa3oud Wainah?, directed by Mohammed Al-Ibrahim and produced by Katara Studios, reinforces DFF’s commitment to spotlighting regional voices.

A Citywide Festival for Families and Public Audiences

Doha Film Festival has expanded its family-focused programming with outdoor screenings at the Museum of Islamic Art Park’s “Cinema Under the Stars” and West Bay Beach’s “Cinema by the Sea.” Animated adventures such as Time Hoppers: The Silk Road, Home and Monkey King: Hero Is Back headline the family section. At Katara, young audiences can experience the Bariq Shorts Programme and the cine-concert Wonderful Explorations, where live music accompanies animated films for children aged three and above. An inclusive screening of Sudan, Remember Us, organised in partnership with Hamad Bin Khalifa University, ensures the festival remains accessible to audiences of all abilities.

Music, Talks and Geekdom: Expanding the Festival Beyond Film

This year’s DFF includes a robust cultural programme. The festival’s music lineup spans three strands—Roots, Headliners and Scoring—and features artists such as Saint Levant, Yasiin Bey, Elyanna, Gustavo Santaolalla, Zeyne, Nooriyah, Nemahsis, Aisha Al Zaiani, and Dana Al Meer. DFF Talks brings together journalists, activists, artists and industry leaders including Mehdi Hasan, Rahma Zein, Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, Dana Al Fardan, Khalid Albaih, Sylvia Zakhary, and Ahmed Al Baker.

Running from November 18 to 22, the 12th edition of Geekdom turns Lusail Boulevard into a hub for gamers, creators and pop-culture fans, with e-sports tournaments, gaming challenges, panels, performances and screenings.

A Festival Marking a Cultural Milestone for Qatar

This year’s festival coincides with Evolution Nation, an 18-month campaign marking 50 years since Qatar’s first national museum—a moment that connects DFF’s ambitions to a broader narrative of cultural expansion, heritage preservation, and creative innovation.

Backed by partners including Katara, Media City Qatar | Film Committee and Visit Qatar, Doha Film Festival 2025 positions the capital as a global meeting point for filmmakers and audiences. Across nine days and multiple venues, the festival reaffirms cinema’s power to unite, inspire and spark meaningful dialogue.

Everything You Need to Know About Doha Film Festival 2025

A Powerful Opening Aligned with the Festival’s Themes

A Diverse Programme Spanning 62 Countries

Spotlight on Homegrown Talent: Made in Qatar

Special Screenings and Notable Guests

A Citywide Festival for Families and Public Audiences

Music, Talks and Geekdom: Expanding the Festival Beyond Film

A Festival Marking a Cultural Milestone for Qatar

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Everything You Need to Know About Doha Film Festival 2025

A Powerful Opening Aligned with the Festival’s Themes

A Diverse Programme Spanning 62 Countries

Spotlight on Homegrown Talent: Made in Qatar

Special Screenings and Notable Guests

A Citywide Festival for Families and Public Audiences

Music, Talks and Geekdom: Expanding the Festival Beyond Film

A Festival Marking a Cultural Milestone for Qatar

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