Doha Film Institute (DFI) has formed a new strategic alliance with the Sarajevo Film Festival (SFF).

The DFI and Sarajevo Film Festival will partner on a number of new initiatives at their respective festivals to increase and strengthen connections between Arab and European cinema, said a statement.

This year, DFI has put together a selection of films from the Arab world to be shown at Sarajevo Film Festival (August 16 to 24) including Mahdi Fleifel’s A World Not Ours (UK/Lebanon/Denmark; 2012) and Ahd’s Sanctity (Saudi Arabia; 2012). The films will be featured as part of the Sarajevo Film Festival Partner Presents programme.

Further extending the partnership, Sarajevo Film Festival will promote Southeast European filmmaking with a presentation of three films from its official 2013 programme at the Qumra Film Festival, Doha in March, 2014.

DFI will also put together three recent works by Arab filmmakers at next year’s Sarajevo Film Festival and invite recipients of DFI grants to participate in the CineLink Co-Production Market.

Abdulaziz Al Khater, CEO, DFI, said: “As we at DFI continue to shape our two new festivals – the Ajyal Film Festival for the Young and the Qumra Film Festival, Doha–we are focusing attention on forming new partnerships with like-minded organisations.

“DFI and the Sarajevo Film Festival share common goals of cultural exchange. This new partnership will allow us to continue our support for emerging Arab filmmakers by providing them with an international festival platform to show their work, giving recipients of DFI grants greater industry experience and exposure,” Al Khater said.

The inaugural eight-day Qumra Film Festival will include international competitions for first- and second-time filmmakers. Industry days will include master classes, workshops, panels and the Doha Projects initiative, which puts together DFI grant recipients with producers and key players from the film industry.

The Sarajevo Film Festival is an international film festival with a special focus on the region of Southeast Europe. It represents a platform for development of the film business in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the region, but also sets new standards of festival organisation and film presentation.- TradeArabia News Service