TEHRAN – The Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi has been named as one of first masters at the Doha Film Institute’s talent development event Qumra.

French auteur Bruno Dumont and Cambodian creative documentarian Rithy Panh have also been confirmed as the first masters, the Screen Daily has announced.

The third edition of the event, reserved for first and second-time filmmakers and their producers, will take place in Doha from March 3 to 8, 2017.

“We are excited at the prospect of welcoming these masters and look forward to engaging interactions among them and the participating filmmakers,” said DFI chief executive officer Fatma Al Remaihi, adding that the final masters would be announced in the New Year.

DFI artistic director Elia Suleiman noted that selecting the masters was a complex process: “March can be a complicated time because it’s when a lot of the directors we’re looking at are completing films in time for Cannes. I tried to look at the selection as a whole and think about what the attending filmmakers need and how masters fit together.”

Since launching in 2014, Qumra has gained a reputation as a go-to event for up-and-coming filmmakers for its intimate atmosphere and easy access to top producers, sales agents and established talent.

Al Remaihi also confirmed that Qumra was a long-term project. “Qumra is a long-term investment. We won’t see big results in two or three years. We need to keep at it. We need to be patient with the programs we have rather than launching new initiatives every year. The same goes for Ayjal,” said Al Remaihi, referring to the DFI’s youth film festival.

Past Qumra masters include Mexican actor, producer and director Gael Garcia Bernal; Romanian director Cristian Mungiu; U.S. producer and director James Schamus; Russian master Aleksandr Sokurov; Bosnian director Danis Tanovic; and Japanese filmmaker Naomi Kawase.