And, while watching films during this wondrous festival, I witnessed a second miracle in the making.
Read MoreAjyal young jurors sit during a screening of a film in their section
Ajyal young jurors sit during a screening of a film in their section
And, while watching films during this wondrous festival, I witnessed a second miracle in the making.
Read MoreFatma Hassan Alremaihi and Her Excellency Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater surrounded by some of the Ajyal jurors
A documentary about the students’ movement in Sudan opened this year’s DFI Ajyal film festival. And the unusual, yet super welcomed refreshing choices didn’t stop there.
Read MoreA still from ‘Sudan, Remember Us’ by Hind Meddeb, courtesy of the DFI
With the theme of the 2024 edition of Ajyal Film Festival presented by the Doha Film Institute announced as ‘Moments That Matter’, the event will also see the participation of Palestinian stars Hiam Abbas, Saleh and Mohammad Bakri, along with beloved Egyptian actor Khaled El Nabawy, Turkish TV star Esra Bilgic and Sudanese musician Mustafa the Poet.
Read MoreKatara Opera House on the opening night of Ajyal Film Festival in Doha, Qatar
This year, the Doha Film Institute has managed to put together a hybrid online and in person (for Qatari residents only) version of its annual Ajyal Film Festival dedicated to young audience and there was even a red carpet last night and an opening ceremony. I’m sharing the video of the latter below.
Read MoreA still from Iran’s submission to the Oscars, ‘Sun Children’ by Majid Majidi
I’ve long been a fan of everything that the Doha Film Institute has to offer. Their Qumra event is a phenomenal way to witness how filmmakers go about constructing their films, from pre-production to grants and securing funding to finish their projects. For a culture journalist, it’s a valuable way to experience, quite literally, how cinema is made.
But personally, the event that remains near and dear to my heart is always the Ajyal Film Festival.
Read MoreFatma Al Remaihi, CEO of the Doha Film Institute, flanked by the managing team of the Ajyal Film Festival
I believe wholeheartedly that we are what we watch. It’s been my mission to find works of art on the big screen — and on the little one now through Netflix and the likes — that will make life better. I mean, we can all remember that moment, as children, walking out of a theater having watched our favorite character or cartoon on the big screen and feeling an extra bounce in our step. I still experience that these days, whenever I watch something really special. I walk out of the darkened theater into the light of day — as a film writer most of my viewings are done during the day — feeling like anything is possible.
So when the Doha Film Institute kicked off their Ajyal Film Festival in 2014, I went to Qatar to experience the wonder first hand. It was everything I hoped it would be, children and young adults as juries, films that although made for all ages, could really infuse younger minds with a message of peace and hope. You know, an idealist film writer’s dream come true.
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