A still from the film The Eagle Huntress
TThe fourth Ajyal Youth Film Festival, presented by the Doha Film Institute (DFI), opens tonight with the screening of the Kazakh film The Eagle Huntress.
The event rolls out with a red carpet ceremony featuring the film’s director Otto Bell and actress Aisholpan Nurgaiv among others.
Tonight’s opening ceremony will also host over 550m young Ajyal jurors from around the world, who will evaluate the films in competition in three categories namely Mohaq, Hilal and Bader. With the theme of positive social change, the festival sees the participation of 70 thought-provoking films that will inspire the youth and stimulate discussions about relevant issues that affect them globally. The line-up includes 24 features and 46 short narratives/documentaries, from 33 countries. There will be 42 public screenings, 18 jury screenings, interactive panels and master-classes, red carpets, exhibitions and family activities.
The themes of the films range from women empowerment to the global displacement crisis, the loss of loved ones, financial dependence, separation and every day struggles, presented with an underlying spirit of optimism and hope that will warm the hearts of the viewers.
During the six-day event, the festival will also introduce three sessions of insightful discussions under ‘Ajyal Talks’, headlined by three eminent social influencers: Omar Hussein, who works with Syrian refugees through the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) as well as with AJ+, Al Jazeera’s online news and current affairs channel; Mohammed Al Hajji, a doctoral student and teaching assistant in the social and behavioural sciences at Temple University in Philadelphia; and Khaled Khalifa, UNHCR Regional Representative to the States of the Gulf Co-Operation Council. All Ajyal Talks are open for free to the public, and are aimed at promoting intercultural dialogue to foster original thinking and positive action.
Fatma Al Remaihi, Festival Director and DFI CEO, said: “Through Ajyal Talks, we aim to engage the youth meaningfully, promote debate and dialogue on global and regional issues, and inspire critical thinking among them. With topics ranging from the refugee crisis to digital media and youth empowerment, we are confident that these interactive discussions will have a positive impact on the minds of our youth.”
The first Ajyal Talks will be by Omar Hussein, a Saudi public figure who specialises in digital media, tomorrow at 7.30pm at the Katara Opera House. He will discuss on ‘When 1 Thousand > 1 Million,’ which will highlight the difference between passively watching and being affected by digital content – and how that content can spur people to action rather than simply gathering a larger viewership.
