Fatma Al Remaihi at the opening of the 4th Ajyal Youth Film Festival.
The fourth Ajyal Youth Film Festival will mark its closing ceremony today with the red carpet screening of The Red Turtle (France, Japan).
Unaided by dialogue and carried along by Laurent Perez Del Mar’s magical score, it is a visually stunning tale that has all the deep feeling of a familiar myth. The film is directed by Academy Award-winning Dutch animator Michaël Dudok de Wit. The MENA premiere of the film, which celebrates the themes of humanism and compassion, at 7pm will follow the closing ceremony, where the winners of Ajyal Competition in the three categories — Mohaq, Hilal and Bader — chosen by over 550 young Ajyal Jurors will be feted.
With the theme of positive social change, the festival over the last five days had seen the participation of 70 thought-provoking films, inspiring the youth and stimulating discussions about relevant issues that affect them globally. The line-up included 24 features and 46 short narratives/documentaries, from 33 countries.
Today, celebrated actor Meg Ryan will address the Ajyal Jurors, speaking about her first feature-length directorial debut Ithaca (USA), which will screen at 3pm at Katara 12- Theatre A. The tale of a young telegraph delivery boy in the small town of Ithaca, USA, during World War II, Ryan’s sure-handed direction underlines the power of speaking out clearly against a world forever embroiled in conflict.
Audiences can also watch Seasons (France, Germany) directed by Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud at 4.30pm at Katara 12- Theatre B, a new documentary that narrates adventures from the point of view of many creatures against the backdrop of climate change as human activity increases its impact on the continent.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople (New Zealand) by Taika Waititi will be screened at 3pm at Katara Drama Theatre.
Serbia’s entry for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film last year, Enclave (Serbia, Germany) directed by Goran Radovanovi? about a young boy who is taken to school every day in an armoured vehicle accompanied by soldiers, will be screened at 7.30PM at Katara 12- Theatre B.
Do not miss Sonita (Iran, Germany, Switzerland) by Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami, a powerful and deeply movie cinema set in Tehran, where an 18-year-old Afghan refugee dreams of being a world-famous rapper, at 6.30PM at Katara 12 – Theatre A.
The final day screenings also include two films that have captivated world audiences this year: I, Daniel Blake (UK, France, Belgium) directed by Ken Loach, the Palme d’Or winner at Cannes this year. Laying bare one of Great Britain’s most damaging social ills, the film will screen at 9.30pm at Katara 12- Theatre A.
The final screening at Ajyal this year is of The Salesman (Iran, France) by Asghar Farhadi at 10.15 PM at Katara 12 – Theatre B, a brilliant, complex story of two people suddenly at odds in a space contaminated by uncertainty and mistrust. The film won the prizes for Best Screenplay and Best Actor at Cannes this year.
Tickets are priced QR25 for general screening, and are available for purchase 24 hours a day at ajyalfilm.com or from the Ajyal Katara Main Box Office in Katara Building 12 or Ajyal FNAC Ticket Outlet, FNAC Qatar (at Lagoona Mall).
