Award-winning, ‘A Hero’ by Asghar Farhadi, Academy Award winning director and a collaborator of Doha Film Institute (DFI) will get the ball rolling for the 9th edition of Ajyal Film Festival, it was announced on Tuesday.
The seven-day festival from November 7-13 will feature a diverse mix of virtual and in-person events including film screenings, interactive discussions, multi-media art exhibit, Qatar’s largest pop-culture event, Geekdom, and a drive-in cinema as part of a multisensory experience for all ages.
Speaking at a press conference, Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, festival director and chief executive officer DFI, said: “The festival will feature 85 films from 44 countries. It includes 31 Features and 54 shorts; 22 Arab films; 32 films by women filmmakers. It will also feature 13 diverse films supported by the Doha Film Institute, which include recipients of the Spring/Fall Grants, co-financing, Qatari Film Fund and mentorship through the year-long labs and development workshops.”
Alremaihi noted that the past two eventful years have been full of uncertainty due to Covid-19 and its wide social and economic impact has resulted in a display of the strength of the human spirit. “The collective crisis has helped us realise the importance of social interaction, and that we are all in it together. Ajyal 2021 reflects our deepened understanding of the world, where we appreciate now more than ever the importance of people coming together for creative expression and community,” she said.
The festival’s physical presence include locations at Katara, Sikkat Wadi Msheireb, Lusail and Vox Cinemas Doha Festival City.
“The festival returns with this year’s theme, 'Press Play' to move forward out of pause mode and rekindle people’s passion for play, exploration, and discovery through shared cultural experiences. As one of the first film festivals in the world to adapt to a hybrid format last year, Ajyal demonstrated that we have the can-do spirit and this year, as the world slowly starts to re-open- we continue to represent the innovation and forward thinking of Qatar’s leadership,”Alremaihi explained.
The ninth edition of the festival will deliver a weeklong calendar of film screenings and community-oriented events under the theme ‘Press Play!’ to celebrate the return to in-person events in the spirit of togetherness and the resilience of the nation in addressing the pandemic.
DFI officials said that the festival will follow all directives of the Ministry of Public Health to deliver a safe festival experience with a balance of virtual and safe in-person elements.
The inaugural film 'A Hero' is poignant and understated, and the moral dilemma the film unearths, demonstrates Farhadi’s unique ability to turn ordinary human situations into cinematic masterpieces.
Tickets for the 8th Ajyal Film Festival have already gone for online purchase from Tuesday ( today).
This year’s DFI supported films include 1982, And Then They Burn the Sea, Border, Costa Brava, Lebanon, Don’t Get Too Comfortable, Fever Dream, Land of Dreams, Little Palestine, Diary of a Siege Night, Olayan, Orca, School of Hope and Virtual Voice.
The 2021 Made in Qatar programme presented by Ooredoo, includes 10 films that represent the evolution of our homegrown talent and storytellers. This year’s programme includes world premieres, and screenings of films presented to international audiences at leading film events in Locarno and Venice.
The Made in Qatar selection includes: A Lens Under Water; Don't Get Too Comfortable; Olayan, And Then They Burn the Sea, When Beirut was Beirut, Border, Fever Dream, Kan Fe Nas, Remnants and Virtual Voice.
Abdulla al-Mosallam, chief administrative officer, DFI and deputy director of Ajyal Film Festival and Aya al-Blouchi, Ajyal Film Programme and Youth Programmes special director were also present at the press conference.
The seven-day festival from November 7-13 will feature a diverse mix of virtual and in-person events including film screenings, interactive discussions, multi-media art exhibit, Qatar’s largest pop-culture event, Geekdom, and a drive-in cinema as part of a multisensory experience for all ages.
Speaking at a press conference, Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, festival director and chief executive officer DFI, said: “The festival will feature 85 films from 44 countries. It includes 31 Features and 54 shorts; 22 Arab films; 32 films by women filmmakers. It will also feature 13 diverse films supported by the Doha Film Institute, which include recipients of the Spring/Fall Grants, co-financing, Qatari Film Fund and mentorship through the year-long labs and development workshops.”
Alremaihi noted that the past two eventful years have been full of uncertainty due to Covid-19 and its wide social and economic impact has resulted in a display of the strength of the human spirit. “The collective crisis has helped us realise the importance of social interaction, and that we are all in it together. Ajyal 2021 reflects our deepened understanding of the world, where we appreciate now more than ever the importance of people coming together for creative expression and community,” she said.
The festival’s physical presence include locations at Katara, Sikkat Wadi Msheireb, Lusail and Vox Cinemas Doha Festival City.
“The festival returns with this year’s theme, 'Press Play' to move forward out of pause mode and rekindle people’s passion for play, exploration, and discovery through shared cultural experiences. As one of the first film festivals in the world to adapt to a hybrid format last year, Ajyal demonstrated that we have the can-do spirit and this year, as the world slowly starts to re-open- we continue to represent the innovation and forward thinking of Qatar’s leadership,”Alremaihi explained.
The ninth edition of the festival will deliver a weeklong calendar of film screenings and community-oriented events under the theme ‘Press Play!’ to celebrate the return to in-person events in the spirit of togetherness and the resilience of the nation in addressing the pandemic.
DFI officials said that the festival will follow all directives of the Ministry of Public Health to deliver a safe festival experience with a balance of virtual and safe in-person elements.
The inaugural film 'A Hero' is poignant and understated, and the moral dilemma the film unearths, demonstrates Farhadi’s unique ability to turn ordinary human situations into cinematic masterpieces.
Tickets for the 8th Ajyal Film Festival have already gone for online purchase from Tuesday ( today).
This year’s DFI supported films include 1982, And Then They Burn the Sea, Border, Costa Brava, Lebanon, Don’t Get Too Comfortable, Fever Dream, Land of Dreams, Little Palestine, Diary of a Siege Night, Olayan, Orca, School of Hope and Virtual Voice.
The 2021 Made in Qatar programme presented by Ooredoo, includes 10 films that represent the evolution of our homegrown talent and storytellers. This year’s programme includes world premieres, and screenings of films presented to international audiences at leading film events in Locarno and Venice.
The Made in Qatar selection includes: A Lens Under Water; Don't Get Too Comfortable; Olayan, And Then They Burn the Sea, When Beirut was Beirut, Border, Fever Dream, Kan Fe Nas, Remnants and Virtual Voice.
Abdulla al-Mosallam, chief administrative officer, DFI and deputy director of Ajyal Film Festival and Aya al-Blouchi, Ajyal Film Programme and Youth Programmes special director were also present at the press conference.