The lineup features Majid Al Remaihi's film, which explores themes of personal grief and memory alongside a diverse international program.
Qatari Cinema Breaks New Ground at Swiss Festival
Among them, the Qatari cinema milestone established a formal presence for the nation at the prestigious European event for the very first time. The showcase highlights a decade of sustained funding from regional development initiatives aimed at pushing authentic local narratives onto global screens.
The selection of Majid Al Remaihi’s film to be screened at Locarno is a historic achievement that testifies to the progress of the Qatari film industry, she said, noting that the milestone serves to encourage younger generations to pursue ambitious storytelling on an international scale.
Personal Grief and Memory on Screen
The centerpiece of the Qatari delegation is And Then They Burn the Sea, directed by Majid Al Remaihi. Supported by the Qatar Film Fund, the project serves as a poetic elegy dedicated to the filmmaker’s mother, who experienced a gradual and profound loss of memory over several years.
The production weaves together personal archives, folklore, and poetry to examine the universal themes of mourning and bereavement. The filmmaker also showcased the project at the 2021 Qumra event.
I wanted through this film to shed light on common issues that do not receive attention, such as living with a loved one who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, and I hope that the film will spark a societal debate at home and abroad. Majid Al Remaihi, Director, via Al Sharq
International Competition and Global Talents
Beyond the Qatari entries, the festival’s main Concorso Internazionale competition showcased cinematic achievements from across the globe. Romanian filmmaker Florin Şerban claimed the top festival prize and the City of Locarno’s Golden Leopard for his feature Not Your Place Here.
Additional international recognition went to Brazilian directors Matheus Farias and Enoch Carvalho, who secured the Special Jury Prize for Riverbank, while South Korean actress Kim Min earned the Leopard award for best performance. In the Pardi di Domani
section dedicated to short films and emerging directors, Egyptian filmmaker Mahmoud Assi received the Pardino d’Argento from the Arts3 Foundation for his work Khufu.
