The Doha Film Institute has announced the new batch of 29 film projects from 16 countries that will receive grants funding, which includes new works by France’s Sonia Kronlund, whose “Nothingwood” is screening in the Cannes Directors Fortnight, Tunisia’s Mohamed Ben Hattia (“Hedi”), Morocco’s Leila Kilani (“On the Edge”), and Palestine’s Annemarie Jacir (“When I Saw You”).

Significantly, more than half of the Dfi Spring grants are going to films helmed by women directors with a large portion of coming-of-age stories centered around female protagonists. Over 80% are the Arab world.

“It’s not deliberate in our part, but it’s fantastic to see how more [Arab] women are being empowered to do films than ever before,” commented Dfi CEO Fatma Al Remaihi.

Two of the projects, “A Man on Fire,” by Lebanon’s Ibrahim Harb, and “Days of Grace,” (pictured) by Bahrain’s Saleh Nass, germinated from the 2016 Dfi Producers Lab,...