Sample Workshop Schedule – Feature Films (start times may vary depending on project and mentor time zones):
Preparatory meeting – 1 hour
Scheduled in the days before the first main session.
First lab day:
15:00 – 16:30 / Individual feedback given by each of the three advisors
16:30 – 18:30 / Collective discussion moderated by the head of the lab

Second lab day:
15:00 – 17:00 / Working session with editor consultant, part 1
break
18:00 – 21:00 / Working session with editor consultant, part 2

Sample Workshop Schedule – Short Film(start times may vary depending on project and mentor time zones):
Preparatory meeting – 30 minutes
Scheduled in the days before the first main session.
Lab day
14:00 – 16:30 / Individual feedback and collective discussion moderated by the head of the lab
16:30 – 18:30 / Working Session with editor consultant

Language: English
Group Size: A creative team of 2 or 3 participants per film (director, producer, and editor)
Level: Advanced

Preparatory Session
The preparatory session will begin with a brief introduction and state the objectives of the lab. The First Cut Lab director and the editor consultant will then consult with the members of each creative team about their expectations for the lab—assessing the current stage of their rough cut and discussing the unique difficulties and challenges their project may face.

Main session
The main session of the lab consists of two intensive days of diverse online consultations.

Day 1
Morning: participants will receive invaluable, elaborated feedback from each of the three international film mentors, who will have watched the rough cut the day before and reflected on the points they want to address.

Afternoon: the director of the lab will initiate and moderate a collective discussion, after drawing a summary of the feedback from the morning and identify the topics that would deserve to be further discussed in a plenary exchange.

Day 2
The second day is composed of two half-day one-to-one working slots with the consultant editor. Building upon the many feedback of the day before, the consultant editor will dig deeper into the film materials, also going through the film timeline in detail. In agreement with the intentions of the creative team—that will have reflected on the exchanges from the day before—a series of practical editing suggestions will be provided. The goal is for the creative teams to leave the lab with renewed energy, confidence and increased awareness in the identity and strength of their materials, and excitement with the prospect of experimenting with new editing approaches.

Follow-up
A week after the main session, the participants will be provided with a written memo report, that serves as guidance to further work on the editing and post-production of their films.

1. Application Document (as one PDF or word document)
• Project Dossier, including:
• Applicant name, project title, email address and phone number
• Synopsis
• Director’s note
• Key crew & bios
• Production company information
• Film stills
• Supplementary materials as desired (trailer, etc.)
2. A letter outlining your motivation to participate in the lab. It should:
• Describe the project’s current stage and editing timeline.
• State its primary needs.
• Mention the preferred lab dates (between July and October).
3. Link(s) to director’s previous work.
4. Video material for your project:
• This can be selected scenes, first assembly or rough cut
• Minimum duration 20 minutes for feature films and 8 minutes for shorts
• Subtitled in English
• Must be available via a password-protected streaming service (e.g. Vimeo). No transfer services or cloud storage will be accepted.
5. Copy of Passport or government-issued ID for participating creative team members (director, producer, and editor)

Please include your full name, project title, email and contact number in all text documents.

Please submit these documents via the application form before the deadline (May 3 2026). For inquiries, please contact firstcutlab@dohafilm.com.

• The First Cut Lab is designed for creative teams (director, producer, and editor) with a film at the editing stage. The project can be in different stages of post-production, though it is highly recommended to be in the early editing phase.
• Applicants from Qatar and the MENA region including the diaspora, as well as DFI grantees (from any region), are prioritized for participation.
• Applicants from emerging countries and regions are also encouraged to apply.

Mentors will be:
Matthieu Darras – Lab Advisor (Director of the First Cut Lab)
Suzy Gillett – Editorial Advisor
Qutaiba Barhamji – Editor Mentor
Benjamin Mirguet – Editor Mentor
Sebastian Sepúlveda – Editor Mentor
Carine Doumit – Editor Mentor
Zeina Aboul Hosn – Editor Mentor