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• Ajyal Competition winners chosen by young Ajyal Jurors to be presented at closing ceremony
• Celebrated actor Meg Ryan to address Ajyal Jurors; her directorial debut Ithaca to be screened

Doha, Qatar; December 4, 2016: The fourth Ajyal Youth Film Festival presented by the Doha Film Institute will mark its closing ceremony today (Monday, December 5) with the red carpet screening of The Red Turtle (France, Japan), directed by Academy Award-winning Dutch animator Michaël Dudok de Wit. 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 MENA premiere of the film, which celebrates the themes of humanism and compassion, at 7 PM 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.

Today (Monday), 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 4.30 PM 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.

At 3 PM at Katara Drama Theatre, watch Hunt for the Wilderpeople (New Zealand) by Taika Waititi about Ricky, who has a last chance to settle down with a foster family before he lands in juvenile detention and state. Audiences also have the chance to watch Serbia’s entry for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film last year, Enclave (Serbia, Germany) directed by Goran Radovanović about a young boy who is taken to school every day in an armoured vehicle accompanied by soldiers. It screens 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).

Katara is the Cultural Partner and Oxy Qatar is the Principal Partner for the 2016 edition. Qatar Tourism Authority is the Signature Partner of the festival this year.