Sarajevo and QumraFilm festivals to share films, delegates.

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

The two will partner on a number of initiatives at their respective festivals to strengthen connections between Arab and European cinema.

This year the DFI will curate a selection of films from the Arab world to be shown at Sarajevo including Mahdi Fleifel’s A World Not Ours [pictured] and Ahd’s Sanctity.

A delegation of Doha representatives, headed by the organisation’s CEO Abdulaziz Al Khater, will attend Sarajevo (which runs through Aug 24).

Additionally, a recipient of funding from the DFI’s grant programme will take part in the festival’s CineLink co-production market.

In return, Sarajevo will present three films from its official 2013 programme at the QumraFilm Festival, Doha, in March 2014.

The inaugural Qumra Film Festival is aimed at showcasing first- and second-time filmmakers. It will also include an Industry Days programme comprising master classes, workshops, panels and the Doha Projects initiative, which puts together DFI grant recipients with producers and other industry players.

The two will continue the collaboration next year.