Media City Qatar Supports Regional Productions All the Way to the Big Screen

A year after Media City Qatar announced its support at MIPCOM Cannes 2025, Arabic drama series “Lamma Shefet” and “Kawalees,” developed by licensed company ImagiQ Productions with The Big Picture Studios, have moved from development into production and are now complete.

The same journey takes shape across three films: “First to Fly” by Alaqat, “Jodari Meno” by The Film House Originals and “A Very Ordinary Life” by Lusail Film. All three are approaching release and have been selected for the special screenings program at Doha Film Festival 2026.

These projects show how Media City Qatar’s support can carry productions beyond the initial announcement, from development and production through completion and release.

Five projects, different stories

The five productions explore different worlds, from contemporary entertainment to sport, identity and personal ambition.

Directed by award-winning filmmaker David Oryan and produced by Rony Jazzar and Mazen Fayad, “Lamma Shefet” is a 10-episode drama-thriller by Sandrine Zeynoun charting a character’s unexpected rise to fame, starring acclaimed regional actors Aimée Sayah and Mohamad Al Ahmad.

“Kawalees,” written by award-winning screenwriter Nadine Jaber and directed by Emile Slailaty, stars Dima Kandalaft as a former investigative journalist turned podcaster who discovers a photo album connected to a singer who disappeared in the 1990s. Also by Zeynoun and produced by Jazzar and Fayad, the film follows her discovery into a world of exploitation and scandal in the entertainment industry.

The three films broaden that range. “First to Fly,” a film by Rodrigo Vazquez Salessi, follows two young gymnasts competing at the world championships, with filming across Qatar, Bulgaria and Madagascar. The documentary film “Jodari Meno” follows Qatari spearfisher and director Jamal Alkhanji on his quest to land a world-record dogtooth tuna, in a deeply personal journey exploring obsession, mortality and the search for meaning. Meanwhile, “A Very Ordinary Life,” directed by Muhammed Deniz, produced and co-written by Abdulrahim Al-Siddqi and starring Khaled Amin and Farah El Fassi, is also moving toward release, with a story that uncovers a buried family secret.

Film and TV critic Nadim Safieddine, founder of Nad’s Reviews page, says this diversity is enriching. “Arab storytelling has never lacked for talent or ambition. What’s changing is the infrastructure behind it,” said Safieddine. “When you can greenlight a spearfishing documentary and a psychological thriller in the same slate, that’s when you know something real is being built.”

What happens between announcement and screen?

Getting a project to screen takes more than an idea. Financing, crews, locations, equipment, post-production and market access all have to come together.

Media City Qatar’s ecosystem and programs have supported companies in building and producing in Qatar, connecting eligible projects with the support, services and infrastructure needed to move from development into production.

The activity is already measurable: more than 30 projects supported, including 10 documentaries, seven shows and programs, five series, five films, three games and two podcasts.

For companies, that capability can extend beyond a single production. Completing projects locally allows creative and production teams to build experience, relationships and knowledge that can support future work.

One year later

The progression of “Lamma Shefet” and “Kawalees” provides a clear marker. At MIPCOM Cannes 2025, they were projects being introduced to the international industry. A year later, they are approaching their premieres. This gives Media City Qatar’s presence at MIPCOM Cannes 2026 a different context.

Alongside new projects and industry connections, it helps companies behind them showcase their productions, connect with international industry players and explore how their stories can reach audiences in new markets.

That connection between production and market is also central to MIPCOM. “It’s always great to see what happens to a project after it is announced at MIPCOM,” said Bassil Hajjar, Middle East TV market director and MIPCOM representative in the Middle East. “Coming back a year later and seeing these productions nearing completion gives that journey a real sense of momentum. It shows how important it is for producers to have the opportunity to make connections early and then build on those relationships as the projects move toward audiences.”

For Hamad Omar AlMannai, CEO of Media City Qatar, that continuity is an important part of the value companies can find in the market and beyond. “We are pleased to return to MIPCOM with productions that have moved through development and production and are now approaching audiences,” he said. “The market gives companies an opportunity to make connections early, but those relationships become more meaningful when they continue as the work moves forward.”

For the companies behind the productions, the next stage is about audiences, distribution and the work’s life beyond the production itself. For Media City Qatar, the five projects are examples of what happens when companies have a platform that supports the journey beyond the initial idea, from establishing a presence and accessing incentives to making productions and taking them to audiences.

Ready to bring your next production to life? Click here to explore how Media City Qatar can support your business and help you get started.