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• Geekdom activities enters the final stage today with edge-of-your-seat video game tournaments and more
• Do not miss the compelling art by the Qatari community at [RE]ACTION

Doha, Qatar; December 2, 2018: With curtains coming down on the sixth Ajyal Film Festival, the annual cinema event hosted by the Doha Film Institute at the Katara Cultural Village, today (Monday, Dec. 3, 2018), audiences have another exciting day of activities, including the screenings of award-winning films.

Do not miss ACTION, the interactive art exhibit at Ajyal’s Katara Building 19. A creative showcase of Qatar’s resilience and ability to overcome even the most testing of challenges, the works on display how the nation continue to strengthen and grow. Watch compelling art, photographs and installations by Abdulaziz Yousef, May Al Mannai, Waheed Khan, Ammar Al Qammash, Rashid Al Kuwari, Khalifa Al Thani, Kholood Al Ali, Ghada Al Khater, Ahmed Al Jufairi, Vatyma and Maryam Al Homaid & Levi Hammett. The exhibition is open from 10 AM to 10 PM and is open to the public.

Activities at Geekdom, one of the largest pop-culture events in Qatar, enter their final phase on Monday at Katara Building 18 & 19, with cosplay, video game tournaments and more. The much-awaited Geekdom Talk by Professor Leland Hill on ‘Life as a Geek’ is at 7 PM at the Screening Room in Building 18, as he discusses the progression of comic book, science fiction and fantasy characters.

The Geekdom Closing Concert at 9:15 PM at Katara Esplanade is a must-attend event as ‘CineMoon’ ensemble members, representing a selection of some of the finest musicians from Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, will perform an exclusive playlist that includes music from the world’s most beloved films, anime, and videogames. There will be special guests and rewards; entry is free and on first come, first served basis.

Five international films will be screened on the final day of Ajyal, and offers the opportunity for cine-lovers to watch internationally acclaimed works. The winner of a Best Screenplay Award at Cannes Film Festival 2018, The Man Who Stole Banksy (UK, Italy, Qatar/2018), supported by the Doha Film Institute, will be screened at 8:30 PM at Novo Cinemas, The Pearl. Directed by Marco Proserpio, the film is about anonymous street artist and activist Banksy who painted several politically divisive artworks in Palestine.

Acclaimed director Jafar Panahi’s 3 Faces (Iran/2018) will be screened at 8 PM at Katara 12 Theatre B. The winner of a Best Screenplay Award at Cannes Film Festival 2018, it narrates the story of Panahi’s journey with well-known actress Behnaz Jafari to the rural northwest of the country to support a girl, whose family prevents her from studying drama in Tehran.

Nominated as the Best Feature at Annecy International Film Festival 2018, On Happiness Road (Taiwan/2017) by Hsin-Yin Sung will be screened at 9 PM at Katara 12 Theatre A. It follows the journey of Chi, who returns home for the funeral of her grandmother, and reminisces about the life she left behind to pursue her dream abroad.

Supa Modo (Kenya, Germany/2018), the winner of the Crystal Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival 2018, will be screened at 5 PM at Katara 12 Theatre B. Directed by Likarion Wainaina, the film is about Jo, a nine-year-old girl, who is diagnosed with a terminal illness, and how her sister decides to make her dreams come true and turns Jo into a real-life superhero.

Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Seattle International Film Festival 2018, Leave No Trace (USA/2018), directed by Debra Granik, will be screened at 6 PM at Katara 12 Theatre A. The film is about a father and daughter who live a reclusive life in an idyllic natural reserve. When they are put into social services, they must set off on a harrowing journey back to the only place they know as home.

Tickets to the regular screenings are priced QR25 and are available at FNAC stores (Lagoona Mall and Doha Festival City) and the Ajyal Katara Main Box office, Building 12. Tickets can be purchased online www.dohafilminstitute.com/filmfestival. Holders of Culture Pass by Qatar Museums will get a QR5 discount on all general screenings.

2018 Ajyal Film Festival’s Official Partners include: Katara Cultural Village – Cultural Partner; Ooredoo – Principal Partner; Novo Cinemas – Strategic Partner and St. Regis Doha – Signature Sponsor.