The third annual Ajyal Youth Film Festival, presented by Doha Film Institute (DFI), will open on November 29 with the Middle East premiere of The Idol from Academy Award-nominated Palestinian filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad.
The festival will take place at Katara - the Cultural Village until December 5.
Raising the curtain on DFI’s annual celebration of cinema, The Idol tells the true story of Mohamed Assaf, an amateur singer from Gaza who became a worldwide sensation after winning the live-singing competition, Arab Idol, in 2013.
The film, co-financed by DFI, enjoyed its world premiere at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival in September and is screening this week at the 59th BFI London Film Festival.
Other Middle East premieres announced include this year’s Berlin Film Festival Golden Bear winner, Jafar Panahi’s Taxi, in which the celebrated Iranian director drives a cab around Tehran, picking up passengers to great comedic and dramatic effect; and the 2015 Cannes ‘Un Certain Regard’ opener ‘An’ by Japanese director Naomi Kawase, a tale of a sad cook’s professional relationship with an elderly woman who teaches him to commune with nature.
Other films from celebrated filmmakers included in the selection are Tigers, a look at the nefarious practices of multinational corporations in the developing world from Academy Award-winning Bosnian director Danis Tanovic, and Mia Madre, a drama about a film director’s relationship with her ailing mother by Cannes Palme d’Or winner, Italian director Nanni Moretti.
Ajyal 2015 marks the Qatar premiere for Tigers by Tanovic, who was one of the five Masters at the inaugural edition of Qumra in March, DFI’s new industry event for emerging filmmakers.
Mia Madre will have its Gulf premiere at Ajyal following its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this year, where it won the Ecumenical Jury Prize.
Also joining the line-up is Very Big Shot from Lebanese first-time feature director and DFI grantee Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya.
Fatma al-Remaihi, CEO of DFI, said: “We believe the third edition is set to be our strongest yet, as the festival’s reputation continues to grow each year. The range of works from internationally renowned auteurs already confirmed will provide a truly memorable experience for our audiences and young jurors.”
The full line-up and schedule of the festival will be announced in early November.