On the concluding day of the week-long Ajyal Youth Film Festival today, film lovers can watch a special screening of the BraveHearts programme that features three films illuminating “the incredible impact of education on young people.”
Screening at 5pm at Katara 12 - Theatre A are: Faridullah’s Day Off (Denmark, Afghanistan; Afghan; 2013), directed by Jens Pedersen; Fire in our Hearts (India, US; Marathi; 2013) by Jayashree Janu Kharpade; and Poet Against Prejudice (US, English, 2014) by Faiza Almontaser.
Faridullah’s Day Off charts the story of an 11-year-old boy who dreams of getting an education and opening a restaurant in a heartrending clash of reality and imagination.
Fire in our Hearts highlights the illegal slavery that had affected tribespeople until the late 1970s in India until activists built the first school for them. Director Jayashree unveils how this made her and her classmates the first generation of literate women in their tribes.
Poet Against Prejudice narrates how the director, who emigrated to the US with her family from Yemen, has been able to inspire others through her courage and poetry skills.
The Closing Night Red Carpet gala of Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet, co-funded by the Doha Film Institute, will host actress Salma Hayek Pinault, the producer of the film, writer-director Roger Allers, co-directors Mohamed Saeed Harib and Joan Gratz, as well as co-producers Clark Peterson and Jose Tamez.
Film enthusiasts also have the opportunity to watch a selection of compelling shorts showcased under the Bariq and Bader programmes that draw in films from around the world. The Bariq screening is at 11am at Katara Opera House and will appeal to the little ones. The Bader Shorts programme screenings are at 8.30pm at Katara 12 - Theatre A. BraveHearts, Bariq and Bader are free screenings for the public.
As part of Sony Pop-Up Cinema, Ajyal Youth Film Festival will screen director Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (US, New Zealand; English; 2013) at 8pm. The screening is also free of charge and guests can reserve tickets online at www.dohafilminstitute.com; seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
A selection of the festival-favourite films is also being screened at Ajyal today. These include: Finn (The Netherlands, Belgium; Dutch; 2013) by Frans Weisz at 11am at Katara 12 - Theatre B; If I Had Wings (Canada, English, 2013) by Allan Harmon at 2pm at Katara Opera House; Sepideh: Reaching for the Stars (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Iran; Persian, English; 2013) by Berit Madsen at 2.45pm at Katara 12 - Theatre B; Theeb (Jordan, Qatar, UAE, UK; Arabic, English; 2014) directed by Naji Abu Nowar, screening at 2.45pm at Katara Drama Theatre; #chicagoGirl: The Social Network Takes on a Dictator (US, Syria; Arabic, English; 2013) by Joe Piscatella at 5.45pm at Katara 12 - Theatre B; and The Tale of Princess Kaguya (Japan, Japanese, 2013) by Isao Takahata at 9.15pm at Katara 12 - Theatre B.
Tickets to these screenings can be purchased from Box Offices at Ajyal Festival Booth in City Center Doha, West Bay; Doha Film Institute Drama Theatre Ticket Outlet (Katara Building 16) and Ajyal Katara Main Box Office (Katara Building 12).