Mexico will be out in force at the 12th edition of the Doha Film Institute’s annual project and talent incubator Qumra, running 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 alongside Moroccan director Faouzi Bensaïdi, French director Alice Diop and Oscar-winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla.
At the heart of the Qumra program, the five Qumra Masters will each give a talk on their career and lessons learned as well as one-on-one mentorship to a selection of assigned projects attending the event.
Qumra is a cornerstone of Doha Film Institute’s mission to support filmmakers from the Middle East and North Africa region and beyond.
The directors and producers of around 50 projects, which are recipients of DFI grants, are invited to the event, where they are given advice and support by professionals from across the film and TV production and distribution chain.
2025 attendees included Hasan Hadi’s The President’s Cake, which went on to win Cannes Camera d’Or and make it onto the shortlist for the Best International Feature Film Academy Award; Erige Sehiri’s Promised Sky, which opened Cannes Un Certain Regard, and won best film at Marrakech, and Suzannah Mirghani’s Cotton Queen, which debuted in Venice.
“Qumra was created to ensure that emerging filmmakers are not only supported, but truly seen—artistically, professionally and globally. Welcoming these luminaries as our 2026 Qumra Masters reflects our belief that generous mentorship can change creative trajectories,” said DFI CEO Fatma Hassan Alremaihi. “Their commitment to storytelling, cultural dialogue and artistic courage will have a lasting impact on the filmmakers they engage with, and on the stories that will shape cinema’s future.
Alremaihi noted that García Bernal’s presence is particularly meaningful because the Mexican star attended Qumra’s first edition as Master in 2015.
“Over 12 editions, Qumra has grown in scale, ambition and global reach, becoming a space defined by creative exchange, generosity and momentum. We are excited for the Masters to experience the extraordinary energy Qumra is now known for, and deeply grateful to Gael for his early support in helping set the foundation for what has become one of the most influential talent incubators for emerging filmmakers worldwide,” she said.
Elia Suleiman, Artistic Advisor at DFI added: “Cinema begins where certainty ends. It exists in the tension between what is seen and what is felt, offering a language beyond image. At Qumra, we gather not to teach, but to open doors. The exchange reshapes perception. And from that shift, new worlds are imagined by those who dare to see differently.”
The 12th edition of Qumra will feature masterclasses, one-on-one mentorship sessions and curated industry meetings, offering participants rare access to creative and expert guidance from across the global film ecosystem.
The selected project and further program and guest details will be announced in the coming weeks.
One of Morocco’s best-known directors, Bensaïdi’s last film Deserts, played in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight in 2023, while he has also appeared as an actor in films by directors Jacques Audiard, Nadir Moknèche, Daoud Aoulad-Syad, and Bertrand Bonello, among others.
García Bernal first gained international in film such as Amores perros, Y tu mamá también, and Diarios de motocicleta [The Motorcycle Diaries]. He made his directorial debut,‘Déficit’, premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week, and he later returned to social themes with ‘Chicuarotes’. He is currently working his third feature as a director, Hombre Al Agua.
His longtime friend and collaborator Luna, broke out in Alfonso Cuarón’s Y tu mamá también (in which García Bernal also costarred), before then breaking into Hollywood to appear in films such as Rogue One. More recently, he starred in and executive-produced the web series Andor, earning a Golden Globe nomination. He is currently in post-production on Ceniza en la boca.
Diop first achieved international renown with debut fiction feature Saint Omer, which 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.
Argentinian composer, producer, and musician Santaolalla won two consecutive Academy Awards for Best Original Score for Brokeback Mountain (2006) and Babel (2007), with other accolades including Golden Globe for the song “A Love That Will Never Grow Old” from Brokeback Mountain, and two BAFTAs for The Motorcycle Diaries (2005) and Babel (2007).
