DOHA: Forty-two films will be screened at the inaugural Ajyal Youth Film Festival presented by the Doha Film Institute (DFI) from November 26 to 30 at Katara.
Spanning short films, documentaries, and narratives, the films, both in-competition and out-of-competition, will be further categorised under Bariq (for families with kids aged between 4-7 years old), Mohaq, Hilal, and Bader segments.
Vying for top honours will be four feature and six short films in the Hilal category, for youngsters between the ages of 13 to 17, while four feature and eight short films, adjudicated by jurors from the ages of 18 to 21, will go head-to-head in the Bader in-competition segment. Additionally, seven shorts will compete for top prizes in the Mohaq Competition segment for the ages 8-12.
Winners of the in-competition segment will receive a development award through the Ajyal Film Fund. Prizes in the short film competition include the Best Filmmaker Awards in the Mohaq, Hilal and Bader segments for $5,000 each. Feature film competition prizes include the Best Feature Filmmaker Award in the Hilal and Bader categories of $15,000 each.
Under the out-of-competition segment, 11 short films in the Bariq section will be reviewed by children between the ages of 4 to 7 years, spanning entries from Canada, India, UAE, USA, Germany, Italy, UK, Egypt, and Belgium; while Mohaq, for children between the ages of 8 to 12, will feature two feature films, from Iran and Spain, and seven short films from UK, Poland, Germany, Japan, UAE, and Netherlands.
Meanwhile, DFI has opened registration for ‘Doha Film Experience,’ for the region’s young film enthusiasts who will have the chance to participate as a juror at the festival.
During the course of the Doha Film Experience, hundreds of young jurors, from ages 8 to 21, will be given the opportunity to watch an array of films under Mohaq, Hilal, and Bader categories followed by discussions and events spanning workshops and Q&A sessions with the directors and stars. On the closing night of the Festival, the young jurors from the Doha Film Experience will vote for the films and award the ones they consider most outstanding.
Previously known to film fans as the Doha-Giffoni Experience, the ‘Doha Film Experience’ is at the heart of the Festival.
Fatma Al Remaihi, Festival Director, said: “Based on our successful experience with this program in the past, we have further enhanced the initiative to offer a unique educational experience. For five days, young people will participate in screenings, workshops and discussions designed to encourage appreciation of film and culture. We are really proud and excited about this program and encourage families to enroll their children. We want to empower our youth – they are the leaders of tomorrow”.
To register visit http://www.dohafilminstitute.com/pages/ajyal-jury-application.
The Peninsula
