DOHA: The Doha Film Institute’s new film festival ‘Ajyal’ for the young is expected to become a platform for the youth to express their desires and problems.
The festival would be a community-based event that brings cinema and related activities to Doha to promote film appreciation among families and educators, in November.
“DFI opens up an event where young people can express their problems,” said the Director of the Ajyal Film Festival, Fatma Al Remaihi, addressing DFI’s annual ladies suhoor, held under the theme ‘How film culture can help today’s youth strengthen bonds with their families’. “Ajyal film festival for youth will engage families. It will be one of a kind community film festival,” she said.
The five-day Ajyal Film Festival for the Young builds on DFI’s community-based programmes, bringing generations together and offering them film-related activities and events that inspire creative interaction.
The festival gives hundreds of young people the opportunity to sit as jury members that decide the winners of Ajyal’s competition, which is presented in three age-appropriate programmes.
Family-friendly special screenings, thematic retrospectives and tributes round out the film selection, while master classes for students of all ages, workshops for children, parents, teachers and industry professionals and panels enhance film education. The festival includes a feature narrative competition and a short film competition — and the Made in Qatar/Students sections.
Submissions are open for the festival for the short films competition and Made in Qatar/Students section. Entry is open to documentary and narrative films from around the world that are for or about youth. Submissions close on August 25.
The Made in Qatar/Students section showcases student films shot in Qatar, or made by individuals of any nationality who live in Qatar.
Competition winners will receive a film development award through the Ajyal Film Fund.
Four filmmakers will be awarded the film development prize for short and feature films.
All awards are open to documentary and narrative films. “Film is an opening to a discussion. It (Ajyal) is an opportunity for youth to talk about their problems either political, cultural or anything,” said Executive Director of Injaz, Aysha Al Mudekhi. “It will give an opportunity for creativity,” she added.
Sharing her insights on the theme of the night, Al Mudekhi said: “We grew watching black and white Egyptian films and films like Laurence of Arabia and Gone with the wind.” The Peninsula
