The seventh Ajyal Film Festival, hosted by the Doha Film Institute (DFI) at Katara Cultural Village, concluded yesterday with a festive closing ceremony, where the winners of the Ajyal Jury Competition and Made in Qatar Competition were announced.
Addressing the assembled jurors at the closing ceremony, H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of the Doha Film Institute, said: “Ajyal was created by the Doha Film Institute for you — but you are the true creative essence that will continue to make this festival bigger and better each year. I encourage you to keep your passion and curiosity alive and always experience the world with open minds and open hearts, being true to your humanity. This is not where your journey ends but rather where it begins, and I look forward to taking pride in your contributions to making the world a better place for all.”
Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, Festival Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Doha Film Institute, thanked the leadership, public and private sector entities, sponsors, volunteers, filmmakers, and members of the jury for their support in hosting the event.
Ajyal’s flagship programme Made in Qatar presented by Ooerdoo included 22 narratives, documentaries and reflective essays by 23 Qatari and Qatar-based filmmakers in celebration of the growing national film industry. The Made in Qatar jury was comprised of Sudanese filmmaker Amjad Abu Alala, British actor Kris Hitchen and Qatari architect and urbanist Fatma Al Sahlawi.
The winners of the Made in Qatar Competition Awards presented by Minister of Culture and Sports H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali, and Ooredoo Director CSR, Sponsorship and Media, Moza Al Muhannadi: Special Jury Award: Beit Byoot (Jordan, Qatar/2019) by Mayar Hamdan; Special Jury Award: The Unlucky Hamster (Qatar, Indonesia/2019) by Abdulaziz Mohammed Khashabi.
Abdulaziz Jassim Award for Best Performance: Abbas Riaz for his role in Ahmad Al-Sharif’s End of the Road (Qatar/2019); Best Documentary Award: In the Middle (Qatar/2019) by Mariam Al-Dubhani; • Best Narrative Award: Falling Leaves (Qatar/2019) by Dimitri Yuri
The 2019 Ajyal Film Festival Audience Award presented by H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani:
You Will Die at Twenty (Sudan, France, Egypt, Germany, Norway, Qatar/2019) by Amjad Abu Alala The Ajyal Jury Competition Awards winners were chosen by over 450 young Ajyal Jurors representing 45 countries, including 48 international jurors, who travelled to Doha for the event from Armenia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Italy, Iraq, India, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mozambique, Oman, Palestine, Turkey, Tunisia and the United Kingdom. Jurors were divided into three age categories: Mohaq (8-12 year olds), Hilal (13-17 year olds), and Bader (18-21 year olds) to evaluate a selection of shorts and feature films.