“The Doha Film Institute (DFI) has launched its new publication, Atlas of Cinematic Affinities: 15 Years of Doha Film Institute, a book documenting the collective cinematic journeys of independent filmmakers from the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region and beyond. The title reflects the essence of the publication, with the atlas mapping relationships and distances, while cinematic affinities highlights the shared influences, recurring motifs, and creative connections linking filmmakers across languages, geographies, and generations. The publication traces these connections through a constellation of storytelling that transcends borders. The book features two key design elements: a fully bilingual Arabic-English format in which language itself becomes a visual and structural component, and a design inspired by the rhythm of moving images, giving the publication a distinctly cinematic character beyond the printed page. DFI chief executive Fatma Hassan al-Remaihi stated that the publication represents a living record of a generation of filmmakers and the journeys that shaped their creative voices. She added that the book documents the creative process in an honest and spontaneous way, preserving not only the films themselves but also the ideas, influences, and emotions behind them. Al-Remaihi noted that the publication was developed during a period marked by major regional and global transformations and reflects a generation of filmmakers shaped by complex histories and lived experiences. She said that alongside Qatar’s wider investment in culture, education, and innovation, the DFI has continued supporting filmmakers exploring themes of identity, memory, resistance, and future possibilities, contributing to a cinematic legacy engaged with both personal and collective narratives. Editor Zaina Bseiso said the concept behind the Atlas of Cinematic Affinities emerged from a desire to highlight the often-overlooked moments within a filmmaker’s creative journey. She said that while completed films are celebrated publicly, the questions, inspirations, challenges, experiments, and research that shape the final work are the focus of the publication. Bseiso added that the book was designed as an immersive experience driven by emotional resonance, bringing together interconnected visual and conceptual elements to create what she described as a collective cinematic moment. The publication received more than 8,000 pages of submissions from filmmakers associated with DFI-supported projects across more than 80 countries. According to the DFI, the result is both a curated archive and a design object reflecting a wide range of cinematic voices, themes, and approaches, while preserving the emotional depth behind the stories featured in the book. – QNA
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