The third edition of the Ajyal Youth Film Festival will comprise of feature films from 20 countries and a series of short film programmes to be screened from November 29 to December 5 at Katara – the Cultural Village.
Academy Award-nominated Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad’s The Idol will be screened on the opening night. Doha Film Institute (DFI) CEO and festival director Fatma al-Remaihi said more than 500 young people aged between 8 and 21 who make up the Ajyal Competition Jury will watch and analyse a dynamic programme of films under three competitive sections: Mohaq, Hilal, and Bader.
The young jurors will also hold discussions and events including panels, workshops and question and answer sessions with filmmakers.
Each of the three Ajyal Juries awards a Best Film prize to their favourite short and feature-length films, for a total of six awards. Directors of winning films will be awarded funding toward their next film.
Besides over 500 jurors who are registered for the programme, 24 other international jurors will travel to Doha for the event from 12 countries including Australia, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq, Italy, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Serbia, Turkey and the UAE.  
“By providing young people with access to international cinema, filmmakers from around the world, and the space to discuss their ideas and develop critical thinking, Ajyal empowers the youngest members of our community and develops their understanding of the world around them,” al-Remaihi said.
She noted that each section has been carefully curated based on the themes and cinematic language we feel will resonate with each age group.
“Our competition films are also part of our public programme and I am certain that Doha’s film-lovers will find a wealth of choices to entertain, enlighten and inspire,” al-Remaihi added.
Mohaq means ‘New Moon’ in Arabic and these are Ajyal’s youngest jurors, aged 8 to 12. They will watch one programme of short films and four feature-length films, marking the first year that competitive feature films are included in this category.
Ajyal’s jurors aged 13 to 17 are the Hilal jury – the term means ‘Crescent Moon’ in Arabic. Five feature films and a programme of shorts make up this jury’s film selection.
The most mature of Ajyal’s juries, Bader (Arabic for ‘Full Moon’) jurors are aged 18 to 21 and will select their favourite films from five features and two programmes of short films.
In addition to the three competitive sections, the festival’s youngest audiences under the age of eight will also vote for their favourite film with the help of their parents who will determine the Parents’ Choice Award in the Bariq programme.