Qatar- Ajyal Fest begins with premiere of The Breadwinner

The fifth Ajyal Youth Film Festival, the biggest edition yet presented by Doha Film Institute (DFI), opened last night with the Middle East premiere of The Breadwinner, an animated film executive produced by Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie.
Directed by Nora Twomey, the film based on the best-selling novel by Deborah Ellis is an Afghan tale of a young girl's will and determination and stars 13-year-old Saara Chaudry who were among those who walked the red carpet last night.
Bashar Abdulhusain Awadh, son of famous Kuwaiti actor Abdulhussain Abdulredha, who passed away earlier this year, also graced the red carpet.
Ajyal 2017 celebrates the illustrious career of Abdulredha with an honorary award.
'I'm here in Ajyal because in the opening ceremony, they will honour my late father who passed away four months ago. The festival organisers are paying tribute in his memory, and I'm very happy to be here in Qatar and very much honoured for their gesture, Awadh told local media.
This year's Ajyal also shines a spotlight on Kuwaiti cinematic voices with a special ‘Made in Kuwait' section featuring an eclectic and moving selection of seven short films which will be screened on Saturday.
'That is a very nice gesture from Ajyal specially because Kuwait and Qatar are related in terms of brotherhood and our joint history, Awadh, who is a producer representing one of the oldest production houses in the Gulf, commented on the inclusion of a Made in Kuwait section at the festival.
In its fifth edition, Ajyal marks the largest number of participating films, most of which are from the Arab world and by women filmmakers. A total of 103 films from 43 countries, 55 of which are from the Arab world, 52 by women filmmakers and 16 by Qatari and expatriate filmmakers represent a diverse slate of films to be screened at the festival.
'I want to congratulate DFI for this big edition of the Ajyal festival with the participation of well known figures in cinema. DFI has again succeeded in providing a strong platform for the cinema industry with a bigger festival this year, Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, General Manager of the Cultural Village Foundation - Katara, told local media. Katara is the festival's Cultural Partner, having served as host venue for all editions of the Festival to date.
A total of 550 young jurors from more than 45 countries were present at last night's opening ceremony attended by actors, directors, producers, social media influencers, media personalities, ambassadors and DFI officials.Minister of Culture and Sports H E Salah bin Ghanim Al Ali, State Minister and Cultural Adviser at the Emiri Diwan H E Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, Qatar Museums CEO Mansour Ibrahim Al Mahmoud and DFI CEO Fatma Al Remaihi were among those in attendance at the festival opening.
This year's festival offers fresh and important features such as ‘LeBlockade', an exhibition which will showcase films, digital artworks and installations created by citizens and residents in response to the ongoing blockade.
Other highlights of the six-day festival are the Ajyal Creativity Hub which includes among others Geekdom a hub for music, games, competitions, talks and films and Ajyal Talks intimate and in-depth dialogues on relevant issues that impact youth across the globe.

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