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• Seventeen narrative and documentary films presented across two programmes on December 2nd and December 4th
• Annual celebration of homegrown talent reflects increase in documentary filmmaking in Qatar with a selection of creative documentaries and personal essay films
• Jury of eminent regional figures to select the winners in the festival’s flagship section

Doha, Qatar; November 7, 2015: The third annual Ajyal Youth Film Festival, presented by the Doha Film Institute, will once again celebrate the talents of Qatar-based filmmakers through its popular Made in Qatar section featuring 17 films screening across two programmes on Wednesday 2nd December at 7:00pm and Friday 4th December at 7:00pm at Katara.

This year’s Made in Qatar section, presented with the support of Tarsheed, will shine a spotlight on the work of Qatari filmmakers, and those who call Qatar home featuring nine narrative shorts and eight documentaries, some from returning filmmakers and others by new voices in the Qatari filmmaking community.

A jury of three eminent figures from the local and regional industry will determine the winners of the competitive section with two awards being presented for Best Short Narrative Film and Best Short Documentary Film. The 2015 jury members are: film producer Bassam Al Ibrahim (Qatar), who is the CEO of Innovation Films and co-founder of ILoveQatar.net; film actress, director and producer, Ahd (Saudi Arabia), internationally renowned for her performance in Haifaa al-Mansour’s ‘Wadjda’; and respected veteran journalist and media personality, Marcel Ghanem (Lebanon).

Fatma Al Remaihi, Chief Executive Officer of Doha Film Institute and Festival Director of Ajyal Youth Film Festival, said: “It has been another productive and inspiring year for filmmaking in Qatar and this year’s Made in Qatar selection indicates the rapid growth and diversity that we are witnessing in the Qatari film industry. We have seen a significant increase in documentary filmmaking over the past year and for the first time, the section will include creative documentaries and several personal essay films alongside the narrative shorts which cover themes around family, coming-of-age and comedic dramas as well as the immensely popular horror and suspense genre films.”

“Made in Qatar is well and truly established as a highlight of our Festival and we look forward to welcoming festival-goers to our annual celebration of homegrown talent to enjoy the work of emerging and established talent we have here in Qatar. I am delighted to welcome our esteemed Jury members and thank them for their participation in this flagship section of our Festival. I would also like to acknowledge Tarsheed for their support in presenting these screenings – their commitment to the development of our creative community is to be commended.”

The films in the 2015 Ajyal Youth Film Festival Made in Qatar section are:

Made in Qatar Programme 1, Wednesday 2nd December

To My Mother by Amina Al Bloshi
Light Sounds by Karem Kamel
Her Majlis by Najla Al Khulaifi, Dana Al Mesnad and Nayla Al Thani
The Palm Tree by Jassim Al-Rumaihi
Yellow Nights by Abdulla al Mulla
If They Only Knew by Sana Al-Ansari
Heart of the House by Gabrielle Sol
The Notebook by Amna Albinali

Made in Qatar Programme 2, Friday 4th December

Charlie by Ali Ali
Immortalizing Memories by Mostafa Sheshtawy
Asfoora by Mayar Hamdan
Good as New by Jaser Alagha
I Choose Islam by Noor Al-Tamimi, Silma Suba and Zac J. Hollo
Mariam by Zainab Ayon
Time by Yassine Ouahrani
Man of the House by Khalifa AlMarri
Veganize It! by Khalid Salim

Tickets for the Made in Qatar screenings are free of charge but should be reserved through the Ajyal box office which opens on November 16. Visit www.ajyalfilm.com for more details.

The third annual Ajyal Youth Film Festival will be held from Nov 29 – Dec 5 at Katara. The programme consists of daily public screenings of local and international films; the popular ‘Made in Qatar’ section dedicated to showcasing home-grown talent from Qatar; SONY Cinema Under the Stars; family weekend; the Doha Giffoni Youth Media Summit; special events and exhibitions; the Sandbox interactive digital playground; school screenings; and the Ajyal Competition, where hundreds of young jurors between the ages of 8 and 21 will watch and discuss shorts and features and decide on the winning films. The full programme will be announced on November 9 and tickets go on sale on November 16.

For more information on the movie timings and the Ajyal Youth Film Festival, visit www.ajyalfilm.com.