Neon and Nascent Doha Film Committee Sign Four-Year Co-Production Deal That Is Among ‘Milestone’ Agreements Announced by Hassan Al Thawadi

Qatar’s nascent Film Committee and Oscar-winning U.S. indie powerhouse Neon have signed a four-year co-development, co-production and co financing deal, one of several “milestone” agreements being unveiled in Doha by Hassan Al Thawadi, the Qatari lawyer who oversaw 2022 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament.

The Qatar Film Committee, an official body that is part of the Media City Qatar hub that is tasked with driving growth of the country’s entertainment industry, also announced the launch of a regional rebate, details of which will soon be specified and, also still unspecified collaborations with the Cannes and Cairo film festivals.

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“We are building the foundations of a world class [film and TV] ecosystem with new infrastructure, production facilities and post production capabilities supported by vast technology, and data analytics, said Al Thawadi (pictured) during the opening panel of the inaugural Doha Film Festival’s Industry days that involved a fireside chat with Neon CEO and founder Tom Quinn. “Our mission is to create an environment where filmmakers can dream openly,” he added.

The agreement between Neon and the committee sees the partners co-developing and produce six to 10 feature films and short films over a four-year period.

“Our collaboration with Neon represents an important milestone in the Film Committee’s mission to support Arab cinema,” said Al Thawadi in a statement.

“This agreement is about more than financing films, it’s about creating a new platform for Arabic and
regional storytelling, ensuring that stories from Qatar and the wider Arab world are seen, celebrated,
and shared globally,” he added. “Through this partnership, we are deepening creative collaboration between the Arab world and global cinema, helping position the region as a key player in the creative economy of the Global South.”

Commented Quinn: “Neon has always been committed to supporting international cinema, and our partnership with the Film Committee at Media City Qatar gives us the opportunity to elevate an even richer diversity of filmmaking for audiences around the world.”

Al Thawadi also announced a partnership between Doha-based Katara Studios and U.S. indie studio Department M, founded by Mike Larocca and Michael Schaefer, that will see them partner on a biopic about the Syrian military officer known as Caesar who put his own life at risk by smuggling tens of thousands of pictures depicting torture under Bashar Assad to expose the Syrian regime’s torture and human-rights abuses.

As for the rebate, which is called the Qatar Screen Production Incentive, it offers and up to 50 percent cash incentive on qualifying Qatari production expenditure, combining a 40 percent base rebate with an additional uplift of up to 10 percent for productions that meet defined criteria such as hiring Qatari talent, investing in local training, promoting Qatari culture, and other aspects of industry development.

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