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Doha, Qatar; August 6, 2014: Doha Film Institute has underlined its commitment to encouraging cultural exchange through film at the Giffoni Film Festival, the largest children’s film festival in Europe, held in Italy.

Celebrating the partnership between Doha Film Institute and Giffoni, six jurors from the inaugural Ajyal Youth Film Festival were chosen to join the international youth jury of the Giffoni Film Festival. They deliberated on the winners of the 44th edition of the film festival which took place from July 18 – 27.

The six jury members from Qatar included Deema Al Hail, Naji Al Ali, and Ayah Al Ansari, in the 13+ category; and Abdulaziz Al Haddad, Sana Al Ansari, and AbdulKareem Anisetty, in the 16+ section.

They were selected following a training provided at last year’s Ajyal Youth Film Festival. The participants had to submit a film review, from which the best six were selected to serve on the Giffoni Film Festival jury. The jurors from Qatar joined over 3500 young people from countries including Italy, Brazil, Croatia, Russia and South Africa. This is the third year that Doha Film Institute has facilitated the attendance of young talents from Qatar at Giffoni.

Fatma Al Remaihi, Doha Film Institute’s Acting CEO and Director of the Ajyal Youth Film Festival said: “In many ways the Giffoni Film Festival has been an inspiration to us in the creation of our own festival in Doha. Although our festival is only one year old and Giffoni is now in its 44th year, the spirit of enthusiasm and boundless energy of youth is a common trait between our two initiatives. I am delighted that through our partnership, we were able to facilitate the attendance of six young people from Qatar to explore film with their peers from all over the world in the spirit of cultural exchange.”

As part of its presence at Giffoni Film Festival, Doha Film Institute hosted an Iftar for delegates of the Festival, where visitors were provided with insights into local Qatari culture. A showcase of works by Qatar-based filmmakers was also presented, featuring a special programme of short films titled ‘Made in Qatar.’

The winners at the Giffoni Film Festival included the Cuban film ‘Behavior’ by Ernesto Daranas Serrano in the 13+ section, and the German film, ‘Exit Marrakech’ by Caroline Link in the 16+ category.

Ajyal Youth Film Festival builds on the Doha Film Institute’s history of community-based programming. Ajyal invites generations to come together to discuss cinema through events that inspire creative interaction, opening up a fun, collaborative environment where young people can express themselves. The second edition will take place from December 1 – 6 at Katara Cultural Village.

For more details on the Ajyal Youth Film Festival, please visit www.dohafilminstitute.com