Discover Hope, Courage and Resilience through inspiring films at 6th Ajyal Film Festival on Sunday

Inclusive screening experience of Academy Award nominated Theeb

Doha, Qatar: At the sixth Ajyal Film Festival, the annual cinema event hosted by the Doha Film Institute at Katara Cultural Village, on Sunday (Dec. 2, 2018), watch three programmes of short films on the themes of hope, courage and resilience, by filmmakers from around the world. The 25 films are specially curated to reflect the theme of the festival, ‘A Voice for Generations’ and present an inspiring selection that will appeal to all.

On Sunday, Ajyal also presents the inclusive screening experience of the Academy Award nominated film Theeb (Jordan, UK, Qatar, UAE/2014), directed by Naji Abu Nowar. Screened in partnership with the Translation and Interpreting Institute of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Hamad bin Khalifa University, the film can be enjoyed by visually challenged audiences through sound alone with audio descriptions of the visual elements that can be understood through voice, cinema or sound effects. Those who are hard-of-hearing or have difficulty understanding speech can watch the film with enriched subtitles in Arabic, English and sign language interpretation. The screening is at 5:30 PM at Katara Drama Theatre and admission is free.

Ajyal also presents the final opportunity for the public to watch the prestigious ‘Made in Qatar’ presented by Ooredoo films by Qatari and Qatar-based talents on Sunday at 5:30 PM (Programme 1) and 8:30 PM (Programme 2) at Novo Cinemas, The Pearl. There are 16 delightful films by homegrown talents that highlight the strides being made by Qatar in cinema. The short films, in diverse genres and narratives, also present insights on life in Qatar, its culture, its people and places. A programme that is a must-watch for all.

The Hope selection of films, to screen at 6:30 PM at Katara 12 Theatre A illustrates that good things come to those who never give up. Watch The Elephant’s Song (USA/2018) by Lynn Tomlinson, the tale of the first circus elephant in America; Antouni (Armenia, USA/2017) by Alik Tamar, about a Syrian-Armenian girl travelling on a bus with her father; Two Balloons (USA/2017) by Mark C. Smith about two adventurous lemurs navigating their airships; Odd is an Egg (Norway, Portugal/2016) by Kristin Ulseth on Odd, who is worried about cracking his egg head; Gummy Gas Crisis (Argentina/2017) by Rodrigo Diaz, a retro video game adventure; Bachir in Wonderland (Netherlands/2017) by Els Duran and Evelien Vehof about a boy living in the Sahara desert; Two Trams (Russia/2016) by Svetlana Andrianova about two city trams roaming the streets; Siblings (Canada/2016) by James Michael Chiang, in which children share their experiences in life; and Post No Bills (Canada/2017) by Robin Hays, an imaginative short film.

The Courage selection is a testament to standing strong even when all the odds are stacked against you. It will be screened at 7:45 PM at Katara 12 Theatre B. The selection includes: Radiance (USA/2017) by Chialing Yang, a semi-autobiographical animation; As My Father Was (Iraq/2018) by Muslim Habeeb, about a 12-year-old boy who struggles to find a school; Drop by Drop (Portugal/2017) by Alexandra Ramires (Xa) and Laura Goncalves, based on real-life interviews; Last Stop is the Moon (Poland, Lithuania/2017) by Birute Sodeikaite about a young girl who comes to terms with an illness; Bird Karma (USA/2018) by William Salazar, a hand-drawn animated film; Killing Hope (France/2017) by Julia Retali and Natacha Grangeon set in the midst of the civil war in Syria; Sirocco (France/2016) by Romain Garcia, Kevin Tarpinian, Thomas Lopez-Massy, Avril Hug and Lauren Madec, about a family gathering to celebrate the birthday of their godfather; and Changyou’s Journey (USA/2017) by Perry Chen, a young animator’s craft as a labour of love for his father.

The Resilience selection will be screened at 7 PM at Katara Opera House and the films in this programme show how when faced with the right mindset, adversity can be a catalyst for self-development. The films include: Commodity City (USA/2016) by Jessica Kingdon, about the lives of vendors in the world’s largest wholesale consumer market; Carlotta’s Face (Germany/2018) by Valentin Riedl and Frederic Schuld about a woman who suffers from ‘Face Blindness’, I Don’t Believe in You But Then There is Gravity (Turkey/2018) by Umut Subasi, a comedic look at the daily lives of residents of a high-rise building; Inanimate (UK/2018) by Lucia Bulgheroni about Katrine, whose life starts falling apart; Brotherhood (Canada, Tunisia, Qatar, Sweden/2018) by Meryam Joobeur about an 18-year-old who returns to his village in Tunisia; The Craft (Kuwait, Lebanon/2017) by Monira Al Qadiri, a semi-autobiographical work of science fiction; Transformation (Kuwait/2017) by Yousef Al Bagshi about a young disabled man who faces the devastation of war; and Negative Space (France/2017) by Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata about Sam’s father who teaches him the art of packing a suitcase. Tickets for the Hope, Courage and Resilience screenings are priced only QR15 per person.

Also watch Doha Film Institute supported film, The Man Who Stole Banksy (UK, Italy, Qatar/2018), which won the Best Screenplay Award at Cannes Film Festival 2018. Directed by Marco Proserpio, it is about the anonymous street artist and activist Banksy, who painted a number of politically divisive artworks in Palestine. The film will be screened at 9 PM at Katara Drama Theatre.

Tickets to the regular screenings are priced QR25 and are available at FNAC stores (Lagoona Mall and Doha Festival City) and the Ajyal Katara Main Box office, Building 12. Tickets can be purchased online www.dohafilminstitute.com/filmfestival. Holders of Culture Pass by Qatar Museums will get a QR5 discount on all general screenings.

2018 Ajyal Film Festival’s Official Partners include: Katara Cultural Village – Cultural Partner; Ooredoo – Principal Partner; Novo Cinemas – Strategic Partner and St. Regis Doha – Signature Sponsor.

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About Doha Film Institute:

Doha Film Institute is an independent, not-for-profit cultural organisation. It supports the growth of the local film community through cultivating film appreciation, enhancing industry knowledge and contributing to the development of sustainable creative industries in Qatar. The Institute’s platforms include funding and production of local, regional and international films; skills-sharing and mentorship programmes; film screenings; the Ajyal Film Festival; and Qumra. With culture, community, learning and entertainment at its foundation, the Institute is committed to supporting Qatar’s 2030 vision for the development of a knowledge-based economy.

Twitter: @DohaFilm; Instagram: @DohaFilm; Facebook: www.facebook.com/DohaFilmInstitute

About Ajyal Film Festival:

Ajyal Film Festival is an annual celebration of film designed to nurture young minds and support the development of mindful global citizens and thoughtful future leaders in a creative and educational environment. ‘Ajyal’, Arabic for ‘generations’, brings people of all ages together through screenings and events that inspire creative interaction and stimulate cinematic dialogue. Through its’ jury programme, youth between the ages of 8 and 21 are given an opportunity to watch, analyse and discuss global cinema and culture, developing self-confidence, independent critical thinking skills, self-expression, and an appreciation of cinema. 6th Ajyal Film Festival takes place from the 28th of November to the 3rd of December.

Twitter: @Ajyalfilm; Instagram: @ajyalfilm, #ajyal18

© Press Release 2018