Mexico will work on the 12th edition of the annual project of the Doha Film Institute and the talent incubator Qumra, which will run from March 27 to April 1.
Mexican actors, directors and producers Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna will be attending the event as Qumra Masters along with Moroccan director Faouzi Bensaïdi, French director Alice Diop and Oscar-winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla.
At the core of the Qumra program, five Qumra Masters will each present a talk on their work and lessons learned and individual mentoring on specific projects assigned to the event attendees.
Qumra is central to the Doha Film Institute’s mission to support filmmakers from the Middle East and North Africa region and beyond.
Directors and producers of nearly 50 projects, who are recipients of DFI grants, were invited to the event, where they were given advice and support from experts from the entire chain of film and TV production and distribution.
Those present in 2025 included Hasan Hadi The President’s Cakewhich went on to win the Cannes Camera d’Or and was shortlisted for the Best International Feature Film Academy Award; This is Erige Sehiri’s place Promise Skywhich opened Cannes Un Certain Regard, and won best film in Marrakech, with Suzannah Mirghani. The queen of cottonwhich first appeared in Venice.
“Qumra was created to ensure that emerging filmmakers are not only supported, but truly visible—artistically, professionally and globally. Accepting these luminaries as our 2026 Qumra Masters demonstrates our belief that open training can transform creative pathways,” said DFI CEO Fatma Hassan Alremaihi. “Their dedication to storytelling, cultural dialogue and artistic courage will have a lasting impact on the filmmakers involved, and on the issues that will shape the future of cinema.
Alremaihi noted that the presence of García Bernal is very important because the Mexican star attended the first Qumra program as a Master in 2015.
“Over 12 programs, Qumra has grown in scale, ambition and global reach, becoming a place defined by creative exchange, generosity and energy. We are delighted that the Graduates have discovered the extraordinary energy that Qumra is now known for, and we are very grateful to Gael for his early support in helping to set the foundation for what has become one of the most influential filmmakers in the world,” said the influential filmmakers worldwide.
Elia Suleiman, Artistic Advisor at DFI added: “Cinema begins where certainty ends. It exists in the conflict between what is seen and what is heard, it provides a language beyond the image. At Qumra, we gather not to teach, but to open doors. Exchange reshapes perception. And from that change, new worlds are imagined by those who dare to see it differently.”
The 12th edition of Qumra will feature master classes, one-on-one teaching sessions and select industry meetings, giving participants rare access to creative guidance and experts from across the film ecosystem.
The selected project and additional program and guest details will be announced in the coming weeks.
One of the most famous Moroccan directors, Bensaïdi’s last film Desertsscreened at the Cannes Directors Fortnight in 2023, and has appeared as an actor in the films of directors Jacques Audiard, Nadir Moknèche, Daoud Aoulad-Syad, and Bertrand Bonello, among others.
García Bernal first gained international recognition in a film like Amores perros, Y tu mamá tambiénagain Dirios de motocicleta [The Motorcycle Diaries]. He made his first directory,’Lack of‘, premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week’, and later returned to social media with ‘The Chicuarotes‘. He is currently working on his third feature as a director, Hombre Al Agua.
His longtime friend and collaborator Luna, came from Alfonso Cuarón Y tu mamá también (where García Bernal also called), before breaking into Hollywood to appear in films like Rogue One. Most recently, he starred in and produced a web series Andorreceived a Golden Globe nomination. He is currently in post-production Ceniza en la boca.
Diop first gained international fame with the feature of the first legend Saint Omerwhich premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where it won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize and the Luigi De Laurentiis Award for Best First Film.
Argentine composer, producer, and singer Santaolalla won two consecutive Academy Awards for Best Original Score for Brokeback Mountain (2006) and Babel (2007), and other awards including the Golden Globe for the song “Love That Never Grows Old” from Brokeback Mountainand two BAFTAs for The Motorcycle Diaries (2005) and Babel (2007).
