The power of music is undeniable. And no one harnesses its potential better than French filmmaker Leos Carax, one of the Qumra Masters at this year’s DFI industry event.

The thing I love about what I do is that I get to connect, and reconnect with wonderful works of art, and those who make them. Such was the case earlier this morning when I attended the Masterclass featuring French filmmaker Leos Carax, moderated by Richard Peña. It was part of the ongoing wonder that is Qumra 2024 — a mix of movable feast and constant inspiration. So much so that during more than one of the clips chosen by Peña to accompany the chat, I broke down in tears, overwhelmed by it all.

So, remember Annette, Carax’s film which opened the Cannes Film Festival in 2021? Yeah, I thought so. For one, the world was barely back on its feet after the worldwide pandemic and Cannes was an affair of the older and vaccinated. I didn’t go. Also, as is the case with most great artists, Carax was a bit ahead of his times. We didn’t blink for Wonka and all those songs but Annette seemed too out there.

Well, guess what? It’s just perfect now. And thanks to the endless, at times even exhausting inspiration that Qumra offers, I reconnected to the film and the magnificent soundtrack by the brothers Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks, who also went to Carax with the idea of this cinematic rock opera.

So enjoy the soundtrack on Spotify, the English language debut for the artistic and complicated Carax, who doesn’t go press junkets, I found out in Doha, walked out a few times on his own masterclass to go have a smoke — he held the cigarette in his hand along with the microphone. Oh and he hasn’t watched any more films since he started making them…

Also watch (rewatch) the film on Amazon, one of the reasons I love the streamer despite the short ads at the start of some content these days. Here is the link to the film.

Qumra continues in Doha, Qatar through the 6th of March.