Doha: Doha Film Festival (DFF) 2025 opens Thursday, ushering in a week that highlights the power of storytelling, cultural exchange, and artistic courage.
According to Qatar News Agency, this year’s festival begins with the deeply moving and urgent film The Voice of Hind Rajab, a powerful testament to human resilience by award-winning filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania. Its selection as the opening film reflects the Institute’s continued commitment to elevating voices that illuminate truth and inspire empathy.
Over the festival, audiences can look forward to a dynamic lineup of world premieres, regional debuts, talks and discussions, industry sessions, youth programmes, music performances, Geekdom and other community initiatives across Doha.
With prizes totalling over USD 300,000, DFF 2025 features four main competition sections; International Feature Film Competition, International Short Film Competition, Made in Qatar Competition and the Ajyal Film Competition for youth aged 16-25.
Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, Festival Director and CEO of DFI said, “For the past 15 years DFI has taken great pride in the accomplishments of extraordinary filmmakers whose journeys we have shared so far. As we begin this new chapter for Doha Film Institute, we continue to amplify voices that speak to our shared humanity and challenge us to see the world with greater compassion.
“Doha Film Festival is a platform for purpose-driven storytelling that is redefining the global film landscape with depth, nuance, and truth. The festival will offer a vibrant meeting point for film lovers to honour creativity, engage in meaningful dialogue, and discover stories that bring us closer together.”
The festival will welcome several special guests this year including filmmakers, artists and activists- whose work has inspired audiences all over the world. They include: Steven Soderbergh, Ramy Youssef, Michaela Coel, Mo Amer, Jamal Soliman, Golshifteh Farahani, Elia Suleiman, Engin Altan Duzyatan, Jassim Al Nabhan, Dorra Zarrouk, Saleh Bakri, Hiam Abbas, Mehdi Hasan, Rahma Zeina, Jim Sheridan, yasiin bey, Saint Levant, Annemarie Jacir, Misan Harriman among others.
Taking place from Nov. 20-28, 2025, Doha Film Festival (DFF) marks the bold next chapter in Doha Film Institute’s mission to nurture regional talent and champion urgent and authentic stories in cinema.
Key Partners of Doha Film Festival include Katara, Film Committee at Media City Qatar and Visit Qatar. The festival will transform iconic locations across Doha, including Katara Cultural Village, Msheireb Downtown Doha, and the Museum of Islamic Art, into vibrant hubs of cultural exchange, bringing together filmmakers, storytellers, and audiences from every corner of the globe, to reaffirm art’s power.