The upcoming Doha Film Festival will captivate audiences not only through its films but also through a vibrant new live music programme presented by the Doha Film Institute. Headlined by global Palestinian artist Saint Levant, the initiative celebrates the intersection of film, music, and cultural exchange—bringing together emerging and established performers whose work reflects a spectrum of global traditions and contemporary creativity.

The programme is presented through three strands - Headliners, Roots, and Scoring - each offering a different lens into how music shapes stories and connects cultures.

HEADLINERS

1. Saint Levant, with opening sets by Nooriyah and Nemahsis

Saint Levant - Marwan Abdelhamid - is a Jerusalem-born artist of French-Algerian and Serbian-Palestinian descent. He blends Arabic music, R&B, and hip-hop while singing in Arabic, English, and French. Raised in Gaza, he dedicated his first EP From Gaza, With Love to his hometown, and his 2024 debut album DEIRA honours Palestine and his family’s Al Deira Hotel.

Nooriyah, a Saudi-born DJ raised in Japan and based in the UK, champions SWANA sounds and founded the collective ‘Middle of Nowhere.’ Her debut Boiler Room appearance garnered over 4.5m streams, and she has performed at major festivals including Glastonbury.

Nemahsis, a Palestinian-Canadian singer-songwriter, is known for her introspective lyrics exploring identity and belonging. Her 2024 debut album Verbathim earned critical acclaim and two JUNO Awards in 2025, alongside a sold-out North American tour. 

2. yasiin Bey, with Opening Set by Zeyne

A multidisciplinary artist from Brooklyn, yasiin bey has been influential in hip-hop since the 1990s, rising to prominence with the release of Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star in 1998 and Black on Both Sides in 1999. His acting credits include The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, 16 Blocks, Be Kind Rewind, and Bamboozled.

Zeyne is a Levant-born artist whose 2021 debut Minni Ana garnered over 48m streams. She became the first female artist from the region to perform on COLORS and toured with Ed Sheeran in 2025. 

3. Elyanna, with a special performance by Dana Al Meer

Elyanna, a Palestinian-Chilean singer-songwriter, fuses alternative pop with Middle Eastern influences. Her releases Elyanna and Elyanna II earned chart success on The Official Lebanese Top 20.

Dana Al Meer, a Qatari singer and cultural ambassador, has performed at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup ceremonies. She is director of Music Lab Qatar and placed third at the 2025 Intervision Song Contest.

ROOTS

1. Sounds of Sudan with Sammany Hajo & Karet Safar

Sammany Hajo is a Qatar-based Sudanese multi-instrumentalist and producer whose music blends Sudanese melodies with soul, funk, and hip-hop. His COLORSXSTUDIOS performance marked the debut of his singing career. 

2. Sounds of Sudan with Oddisee

Oddisee is a Sudanese-American rapper, producer, and composer celebrated for socially conscious lyrics and a blend of boom-bap, jazz, funk, and live instrumentation.

3. Sounds of Sudan with Gaidaa

Gaidaa, a Sudanese-Dutch singer, blends R&B, neo-soul, and jazz to explore themes of identity, vulnerability, and healing in her project Yarn.

4. Sounds of Saudi: Jara, DJ Mubarak & Asayel

Jara blends modest fashion with multilingual rap addressing racism, gender, and mental health.

DJ Mubarak is a rising Saudi producer known for bridging heritage with modern sound and earning second place in MDLBEAST’s XPERFORM competition.

Asayel, a Mecca-born artist, fuses rap, R&B, and pop; her track Asliyah marked her breakthrough after winning the XPerform competition. 

5. Nooriyah

As in Headliners, Nooriyah also features in Roots, presenting her signature blends of diaspora sounds, global rhythms, and electronic influences.

6. Artists for Acoustics: Dana Salah & Aisha Al Ziani

Dana Salah, formerly King Deco, is a Jordanian-Palestinian artist blending Palestinian folklore with contemporary global rhythms.

Aisha Al Ziani is a Qatari singer known internationally for performing “Hayya Hayya (Better Together)” at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.

SCORING

Gustavo Santaolalla with the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra

Gustavo Santaolalla, an Argentine composer, musician, and producer, is a two-time Academy Award winner for Brokeback Mountain and Babel. His work spans over 100 albums and includes scores for The Last of Us video games and the HBO series. He continues to tour globally with the Ronroco Tour.

The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, part of Qatar Foundation, promotes Western and Arabic music and supports Qatar’s cultural and creative development through performance and education.

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