(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
Doha Film Institute (DFI) is set to hold the weeklong ninth Ajyal Film Festival from November 7 to 13, officials announced yesterday.
The festival will present a diverse range of activities that will bring the community together to celebrate film and culture, marking a return to in-person events under the theme 'Press Play!'
“Ajyal Film Festival returns with this year's theme,“Press Play,” to move forward out of pause mode and rekindle people's passion for play, exploration, and discovery through shared cultural experiences,” Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, Festival Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Doha Film Institute, said.
This year's festival will open with A Hero (Ghahreman), directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker and DFI collaborator and Qumra Master Asghar Farhadi.
The compelling slice of life story won the Grand Prix at Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.
Audiences can participate in the diverse offerings across four locations, including Katara, Sikkat Wadi Msheireb, Lusail, and Vox Cinemas Doha Festival City. The programme will present 85 films from 44 countries, including 31 Features and 54 shorts, 22 Arab films, 32 films by women filmmakers, and 13 films supported by the Institute.
“Ajyal is very impactful on culture and community. We present films that have been made locally, which is important to the artistic scene in the community, and it expands further, yearly,” Alremaihi added.
DFI-supported films will include recipients of Spring/Fall Grants, Qatari Film Fund and mentorship. The movies are 1982, And Then They Burn the Sea, Border, Costa Brava, Lebanon, Don't Get Too Comfortable, Fever Dream, Land of Dreams, Little Palestine, Diary of a Siege Night, Olayan, Orca, School of Hope, and Virtual Voice.
The Made in Qatar programme will cover ten films showcasing the growth of local talent. The selection includes A Lens Under Water; Don't Get Too Comfortable; Olayan, And Then They Burn the Sea, When Beirut was Beirut, Border, Fever Dream, Kan Fe Nas, Remnants, and Virtual Voice.
“We have valued people who contribute to this programme. The festival is also to promote filmmaking in Qatar. Several films made in Qatar have featured in several film festivals, and we are looking forward to making more. The public is very much keen and passionate to see these movies,” Alremaihi noted.
According to organisers, the drive-in cinema at Lusail will make a return. Movies like 101 Dalmatians, Annabelle, Child's Play, Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone, The Conjuring, and Maya the Bee - The Golden Orb, will be screened.
The festival will show solidarity with Palestine through an art exhibition inspired by the Al Jurd family in the embattled Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood. The exhibit at Sikkat Wadi Msheireb will bring attention to the everyday struggle of the Palestinian people.
The Ajyal Creativity Hub will serve as a destination for film, art, and music lovers. Taking place at Sikkat Wadi Msheireb, the key activities include Geekdom, Qatar's largest and one-of kind pop-culture event; Ajyal Tunes, celebrating the country's musical talents with three themed musical concerts and the multi-media Art Exhibit.
“The most important value is to co-exist, and this is an opportunity for people to gather again to watch movies together,” Alremaihi stressed.“We would like to entertain the audience but also deliver strong messages in the process.”
Tickets for the festival are available for online purchase on the DFI website.
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