Venue
Doha, Qatar
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Doha Film Festival guide
A young festival finding its venues.
In short
Film fans in Doha can attend the second Doha Film Festival from 19 to 27 November 2026, run by the Doha Film Institute with four competitions and industry sessions. It opens with the MENA premiere of The Station by Sara Ishaq. The 2026 venue list was still pending in mid-October; Katara Cultural Village was the hub last year.
Run by the Doha Film Institute, the Doha Film Festival returns for its second edition from 19 to 27 November 2026, with Arab and international films, four competitions and industry sessions spread across cultural venues in Doha. It opens with the Middle East and North Africa premiere of The Station, the first feature by Yemeni Scottish director Sara Ishaq.
This is a young festival, launched only in 2025, and it is still settling into its venues. Katara Cultural Village, which has its own Doha Metro station, was the main hub last year. The 2026 venue list was still to come in mid-October.
Families get more attention here than at most film festivals. The Ajyal strand, judged by young jurors, is where to start with children.
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Key Facts & Stats:
Ends: Friday, 27 November 2026
Where: Doha, Qatar
Venue: Katara Cultural Village
Held: Every year
Type of event: Arts Festivals, Film Festivals
Nearest airport: Doha (DOH) · 2 flight routes
Currency: Qatari riyal (QAR, QR)
Time zone: Arabia Standard Time, UTC+3
Language: Arabic
Map
Close to the venue
- Katara Cultural Village Attraction · 50 m
- Katara Beach Attraction · 210 m
- The Pearl-Qatar Attraction · 2.7 km
- City Center Doha Attraction · 3.8 km
- Raffles Doha Hotel · 2.5 km
Getting around
Hotels near the venue fill up around the event dates.
Confirmed dates and when tickets go on sale
The Doha Film Institute has confirmed the dates: 19 to 27 November 2026. Screening times differ from day to day and venue to venue. Expect the full programme and ticket details only a few weeks before the opening night, and book as soon as they go live.
Competition sections and the Ajyal programme
- International Feature Film Competition
- fiction and documentary features, by invitation only.
- International Short Film Competition
- short fiction and documentaries.
- Ajyal Film Competition
- films picked with young audiences in mind, watched and voted on by young jurors. The format comes from the Ajyal Film Festival, which the institute ran for many years before this festival existed.
- Made in Qatar
- shorts tied to Qatar by their makers, their production or their stories.
Outside the competitions, the Ajyal Film Club and a Bariq and cine-concert programme are aimed at children aged four to seven and their parents.
The first edition in 2025
The festival launched from 20 to 28 November 2025 with 97 films from 62 countries and prizes worth more than US$300,000. Kaouther Ben Hania's The Voice of Hind Rajab opened it. Of the 13 films in the feature competition, 12 were regional premieres, among them The President's Cake and Once Upon a Time in Gaza. Screenings took place at Katara Cultural Village, Msheireb Downtown Doha, Lusail Boulevard and the Museum of Islamic Art.
Katara Cultural Village and its venues
Katara Cultural Village sits on the coast between West Bay and The Pearl, with its own stop on the Doha Metro Red Line. Inside the complex are an amphitheatre for up to 5,000 people, an opera house and several galleries and halls.
The other 2025 venues were more central. Msheireb and the Museum of Islamic Art both lie in the old town near the Corniche.
Using the metro and evening weather
- The Doha Metro is the easy way between venues: the Red Line links Katara, West Bay and Msheireb. For the rest of the network, read up on Doha's buses.
- Late November evenings are mild enough for outdoor screenings. Cinemas, though, are air conditioned hard, so bring a light layer.
- Check each film's age rating before taking children.
- The Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix runs from 27 to 29 November 2026, and hotel prices climb at the tail end of the festival. Book early; our Qatar travel guide has the planning basics.
What happens on the day
- 19 November 2026
Opening night
The festival opens with the Middle East and North Africa premiere of The Station, the first feature by Yemeni Scottish director Sara Ishaq.
- 19 to 27 November 2026
Screenings and competitions
Nine days of Arab and international films, including the Cinema Alkhaleej strand of seven Gulf films and 22 titles in the International Short Film Competition.
- 27 November 2026
Final day
The last screenings of the festival. The full film-by-film timetable is published by the Doha Film Institute.
Waiting for the full programme before booking
Wait for the full programme. The line-up, venues and ticket details usually come out in the weeks before opening, and screening times differ by day and venue. Families should look at the Ajyal strand, which suits younger viewers best, and look up the age rating of each film before bringing children.
Hotels get pricier at the end of the festival because F1's Qatar Grand Prix takes over the end of the month (27 to 29 November 2026), so book a room early. Prices climb fast.
Dates and opening film for the 2026 festival
The Doha Film Institute has confirmed dates of 19 to 27 November 2026 for the second edition, keeping the festival's late November slot. The opening film is The Station (Al Mahattah), Yemeni Scottish director Sara Ishaq's first feature, shown for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa.
Late November evenings are comfortable for outdoor screenings, though cinemas are air conditioned, so a light layer is useful indoors.
The Doha Film Institute and the festival's aims
Run by the Doha Film Institute, the festival shows Arab and international cinema alongside industry sessions and programmes for young audiences. Competitions cover international features and shorts, Made in Qatar and the Ajyal Film Competition, in which young jurors watch and vote, continuing the format of the institute's long-running Ajyal Film Festival.
The festival made its debut on 20 to 28 November 2025, screening 97 films from 62 countries and offering prizes of more than US$300,000. Its opening film was The Voice of Hind Rajab by Kaouther Ben Hania.
Venues and getting around Doha
The 2026 venues had not been named at the time of writing. In 2025 the main hub was Katara Cultural Village, on the waterfront between The Pearl and West Bay, and events also took place at the Museum of Islamic Art, Lusail Boulevard and Msheireb Downtown Doha.
Katara has its own stop on the Doha Metro Red Line, which also connects West Bay and Msheireb, so the metro is the easiest way between venues. Our Doha guide has more on the city.
Getting there
Flying in
Hamad International Airport has its own station on the Doha Metro Red Line.
By metro
Katara Cultural Village, the festival's hub in 2025, has its own Red Line station. Trains from the airport split from the main line, so check the destination on the train before boarding.
In town
Confirm each screening venue once the 2026 list is published. Taxis and ride-hailing apps cover the rest of the city.
Where to stay during the festival
The hotels below are in Doha itself, the nearest ones we list to Doha Film Festival. The next edition runs from 19 November to 27 November 2026. Book as soon as your dates are fixed, since rooms close to the festival are the first to go.
Doha
Mandarin Oriental, Doha5-star hotel
No reviews yet
from$307.00/ night
- Internet – Wifi
- Airport shuttle
- Swimming pool
3 Rooms available
Book Now
Doha
Souq Waqif Boutique Hotels by Tivoli5-star hotel
No reviews yet
from$69.00/ night
- Free WiFi
- Airport shuttle
- Swimming pool
10 Rooms available
Book Now
Doha
Alwadi Hotel Doha - MGallery5-star hotel
No reviews yet
from$125.00/ night
- Free WiFi
- Airport shuttle
- Swimming pool
6 Rooms available
Book Now
Weather and what to pack
Late November is one of the pleasant months in Doha. Average highs are around 29°C and lows about 20°C, and rain is rare, with about one wet day in the month.
Screening rooms are air-conditioned and can feel cold after the warm evenings outside.
Worth packing
- A light layer for air-conditioned cinemas
- Sunscreen for daytime walks around Katara
- Clothing covering shoulders and knees for public spaces
Flights to Doha for Doha Film Festival
The busiest routes into Doha (DOH).
FromTo DAC DOH DhakaDoha FromTo CGP DOH ChattogramDoha Available airlines2 airlines- Biman Bangladesh Airlines
- US-Bangla Airlines
Car hire in Doha
Airport transfer to Doha Film Festival
Met at arrivals at Hamad International Airport (DOH) and driven door to door to Katara Cultural Village.
- Hamad International Airport (DOH) → Katara Cultural Village
- 20 km · 25 min
Restaurants and food in Qatar
Places to eat in Qatar before or after the celebrations.
Argan
Al Jasra Boutique Hotel, Al Jasra Street, Souq Waqif, Doha, Qatar
Cuisine:MoroccanNorth African
- Dine-in
Bayt Sharq
Al Doha Gardens, Al Sharq Street, Doha, Qatar
Cuisine:QatariMiddle Eastern
- Dine-in
- Outdoor seating
- Private room
Jiwan
4th Floor, National Museum of Qatar, Museum Park Street, Doha, Qatar
Cuisine:QatariMiddle Eastern
- Dine-in
- Outdoor seating
IDAM by Alain Ducasse
5th Floor, Museum of Islamic Art, Corniche Promenade, Doha, Qatar
Cuisine:Contemporary FrenchMediterranean
- Dine-in
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Booking
Tickets are sold through the Doha Film Institute's website once the programme is published, usually a few weeks before the festival. Popular screenings and the opening night sell out quickly. Some free screenings and outdoor events are also usually included.
Timing & weather
Yes. You do not need industry accreditation to watch films. Accreditation is only needed for the professional programme, such as market sessions and some talks.
General
The focus is on Arab cinema, alongside international features, documentaries and short films. Many titles are regional or world premieres. Screenings of non-Arabic and non-English films normally come with subtitles in English or Arabic.
The Doha Film Institute ran the Doha Tribeca Film Festival from 2009 to 2012 and then the Ajyal Film Festival, aimed at young audiences, from 2013. The Doha Film Festival launched in 2025 as its main international festival. Ajyal lives on as a strand within it, with young jurors.
Plan to arrive at least 20 to 30 minutes early, as there may be security checks and seating can be unassigned. Doors usually close once a film starts. Gala screenings with red-carpet arrivals need even more time.
Many screenings are followed by a Q&A with the director or cast. The festival also runs talks and masterclasses, some open to ticket holders. Check the programme for screenings marked with a Q&A.
Katara Cultural Village has restaurants serving Qatari, Turkish, Lebanese and international food, plus cafés by the beach. Evening tables fill up during the festival, so book ahead if you have a tight gap between films.
No, recording films is not allowed. Photos on the red carpet and around the venues are generally fine. Be respectful when photographing people, and ask first.
Families & accessibility
Not all of them. Each screening carries an age rating in the programme, so check before booking for a family. The Ajyal selection is the safest place to start with children.
Cinemas and theatres at Doha's cultural venues generally have step-free access and wheelchair spaces. Ask the Doha Film Institute when booking so they can reserve a suitable seat. Outdoor screenings on sand or grass can be harder to reach.
Stay & facilities
Smart casual is fine for regular screenings. Galas and the opening night lean formal. In public spaces, dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered, as is the norm in Qatar.