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Doha Film Festival 2026 Jury: Naomi Kawase Named Jury President
The Doha Film Festival has announced the jury for its 2026 main competition. Japanese director Naomi Kawase will serve as jury president, with Adam Bessa, Dora Bouchoucha, Gianfranco Rosi and Kamal Aljafari joining her on the five-person panel. Kawase previously mentored emerging filmmakers at the festival's Qumra program in 2016.
Translated from Japanese with AI. Read the original (Japanese)
The facts
Doha Film Festival 2026 Jury Lineup Announced
The Doha Film Festival has revealed who will judge its main competition in 2026. The jury will be led by Japanese director Naomi Kawase, who takes the role of jury president.
Joining her as jurors are Adam Bessa, Dora Bouchoucha, Gianfranco Rosi and Kamal Aljafari. Together with the president, the five-person panel will evaluate the competition entries.
The announcement was reported by international film outlets. Details beyond the jury lineup, such as the festival dates or the slate of films, were not included in this announcement.
Sources: deadline.com, variety.com
Who Is Naomi Kawase?
Naomi Kawase is one of Japan's best-known directors, recognized for films that have earned acclaim at international festivals.
Among her confirmed credits, her film Moe no Suzaku won the Caméra d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, an award given to the best first feature of the year.
Kawase is no stranger to the Doha Film Festival. In 2016, she reportedly mentored participants in Qumra, the festival's program for developing emerging filmmakers.
Sources: deadline.com, variety.com
Meet the Four Jurors
The four jurors bring a range of backgrounds in film to the panel.
Adam Bessa is known as an actor. Dora Bouchoucha is named as a figure involved in film production. Gianfranco Rosi has worked as a film director, and Kamal Aljafari is also known as a filmmaker.
The announcement did not detail the jurors' specific awards or notable works. What is confirmed is that these four will join Kawase on the jury.
Sources: deadline.com, variety.com
Analysis
What a Japanese Jury President Signals for a Middle East Festival
Bringing in a Japanese director as jury president, alongside jurors from several countries and regions, says something about the kind of festival Doha is building. A Middle East festival that draws filmmakers from around the world, not just the region, is likely aiming to attract a broad range of submissions and audience interest.
Putting a director with Kawase's international festival record at the head of the jury also gives emerging and newer filmmakers a clearer sense of the standards being applied. The risk, though, is that leaning too heavily on the president's profile can blur the festival's own identity.
Kawase's 2016 Qumra mentoring matters beyond a line on her résumé. Having someone who has built a relationship with Doha through its development program, not just its competition, serve as jury president suggests a festival that engages with talent over the long term. Whether that past connection led to this appointment has not been confirmed.
Sources: deadline.com, variety.com
Next Questions: The Film Slate and the Verdict
With the jury set, attention turns to which films will actually compete. The more varied the panel, the harder it is to predict what will win. Which regions and themes will be rewarded won't be clear until the lineup is revealed.
How Kawase runs the deliberations as president will also be a focus. With five jurors, the president's judgment can easily tip the outcome when opinions split. The question is what standards Kawase, with her international jury experience, will set.
Whether Doha continues programs like Qumra, and how the festival's direction is presented alongside this jury, are open questions too. The announcement covers only the jury; the fuller picture will have to wait for further details.
Sources: deadline.com, variety.com
What It Means for Japanese Cinema
A Japanese director leading the main competition jury at an overseas festival is encouraging news for Japan's film community. A Japanese name on both the submitting and judging sides of international cinema is a marker of presence on the global stage.
That said, the appointment reflects one individual's standing and career, not an assessment of Japanese cinema as a whole. It is best read as recognition of Kawase personally rather than generalized into a broader verdict.
If Kawase's comments from the jury room or her involvement with the winning films become public, that will offer useful insight into film exchange between Japan and the Middle East. Further updates are worth watching.
Sources: deadline.com, variety.com
Five story prompts by genre, each with a hook and a twist.
Questions
- Who is the jury president of the Doha Film Festival 2026?
- Japanese director Naomi Kawase has been announced as jury president of the main competition.
- Who else is on the jury?
- Adam Bessa, Dora Bouchoucha, Gianfranco Rosi and Kamal Aljafari will join as jurors.
- Has Naomi Kawase been involved with the Doha Film Festival before?
- She reportedly mentored emerging filmmakers at the festival's Qumra program in 2016.
- What is Naomi Kawase known for?
- Her film Moe no Suzaku won the Caméra d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.