A screenshot from the film 'I Am Afraid To Forget Your Face'.
Doha: The 8th Ajyal Film Festival, the Doha Film Institute’s (DFI) annual cinema event taking place in a new hybrid format from November 18 to 23, will feature an inspiring slate of 58 short films.
The Qatar Public Shorts section will include programmes themed Matter of Integrity and A Winding Road, while the Qatar & MENA Public Shorts section features Dare to Imagine and Echoes of Another programmes.
Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, Festival Director and Chief Executive Officer of DFI, said: “Ajyal is an important platform that amplifies emerging voices to leave a legacy of hope for young leaders of tomorrow.
"Our carefully curated international short films programme reflects our commitment to develop and encourage our youth to participate in cinematic dialogue in a new virtual creative space of understanding that transcends physical separation. Film as a medium can spark significant social impact as it shapes our perception of the world and imparts lifelong lessons.”
The Matter of Integrity shorts programme explores inner strength and integrity as the protagonists face compelling struggles to prove that nothing can dim the light that shines from within. The programme features I am Afraid to Forget Your Face; David by Zach Woods, Witness by Ali Asgari, Nightshift by Karim Shaaban, Clouds by Muzna Al-Musafer, and Why Slugs Have No Legs by Aline Höchli.
A Winding Road is a programme that reminds audiences that life’sbeauty increases with age. The films explore kinship and its ability to carry us through the toughest challenges of past and present, childhood versus adulthood, and memories. The selection includes How My Grandmother Became a Chair by Nicolas Fattouh. The School Bus by Ramazan Kılıç, Napo by Gustavo Ribeiro, En Route by Marit Weerheijm, Bethlehem 2001 by Ibrahim Handal, The Visit by Azadeh Moussavi, and The Present by Farah Nabulsi.
The Dare to Imagine programme of shorts show audiences that great accomplishments require us to act — but also to dream.
The programme includes Matilda and the Spare Head by IgnasMeilūnas, Moonjump by Lasse Holdhus, Falafel Cart by Abdullah Al-Wazzan, The Best Orchestra in the World by Henning Backhaus, Watchmaker at Time’s End by Shaheen Sheriff, We Have One Heart by Katarzyna Warzecha, Left Foot by Falah Al Baghdadi, and Encountering Samir by Rand Beiruty.
The programme Echoes of Another is a testament to how finding common ground is the key to true understanding and recognition that the highest form of knowledge is empathy.
The selection of shorts features Family Plot by Shuichi Okita, Going After Refuge by Ibrahim Abazeed and Barış Elçin, Important Police Sh!t by Andrew T. Betzer, Quarantine by Ghadi Al Alam, Mascot by Kim Leeha, Prisoner and Jailer by MuhannadLamin, and Apfelmus by Alexander Gratzer.
For ticket purchase and to access up-to-date information on the 8th Ajyal Film Festival, click here.
