The ninth Ajyal Film Festival presented by the Doha Film Institute announced the winners of the Ajyal Jury Competition and the Made in Qatar Awards in a festive closing ceremony at Katara Cultural Village.
Winners of the Made in Qatar Awards:
- Best Narrative Award: Olayan (Qatar, 2021) by Khalifa Al Marri
- Best Documentary Award: And Then They Burn The Sea (Qatar, 2021) by Majid Al Remaihi
- Abdulaziz Jassim Award for Performance Award: Saleh Salem Al Marri for Olayan
- Special Jury Mention: Virtual Voice (Sudan, Qatar, 2021) by Suzannah Mirghani
Winners of the Ajyal Jury Competition Awards are:
- Mohaq:
- Best Short Film Award: Umbrellas by José Prats, Álvaro Robles
- Best Feature Film Award: Poupelle of Chimney Town by Yusuke Hirota
- Hilal:
- Best Short Film Award: Olayan by Khalifa Al Marri
- Best Feature Film Award: Captains of Zaatari by Ali El Arabi
- Bader:
- Best Short Film Award: When Beirut Was Beirut by Alessandra El Chanti
- Best Feature Film Award: Little Palestine, Diary of a Siege by Abdallah El Khattib
- Audience Award: ORCA by Sahar Mossayebi
This year’s esteemed international Made in Qatar Awards Jury included actress Sheila Vand; Executive Board Member and CEO of Katara Studios Ahmed Al Baker, and Farah Nabulsi, Oscar-nominated and BAFTA award-winning filmmaker. Jurors were divided into three age categories: Mohaq (8–12-year-olds), Hilal (13–17-year-olds), and Bader (18–25-year-olds).
The week-long festival, held under the theme, ‘Press Play!’ signifying the aspirations of the community to return to normalcy, featured 85 films from 44 countries, including Qatar. The programme included 31 feature films and 54 shorts from accomplished directors as well as first-time and emerging talent. 22 of the films are by Arab filmmakers, with 32 helmed by women filmmakers – nearly a third, highlighting the significant role of female talent.
Ajyal featured 13 films supported by the Doha Film Institute, including recipients of the Spring/ Fall Grants, co-financing, Qatari Film Fund and mentorship through the year-long labs and development workshops. The 2021 Made in Qatar programme presented by Ooredoo, had 10 films representing promising homegrown talent and storytellers.
The seven-day festival featured 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.
source/content: www.iloveqatar.net
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