A glimpse into some of the best
cinema that the second edition of
Ajyal Youth Film Festival has to offer
By Anand Holla
Rarely has a film festival looked as upbeat and promising in just its second year as Qatar’s homegrown Ajyal Youth Film Festival, which is poised to charm children, youth and families alike, all through the first week of December.
With 90 meticulously chosen films from 43 countries set to be screened across Katara from December 1 to 6, it’s tough to zero in on a few. But if doing so might get you interested enough to rush to the festival and discover all the other cinematic goodness in store, then why not?
Yesterday, as the Doha Film Institute gave an extensive look into what awaits us this second edition of the festival – not to forget the exciting range of short films and Made in Qatar series – Community lets you in on the top 10 films that you can’t afford to miss:
Ajyal couldn’t have picked a feistier opening film than this celebratory Palestinian racing documentary that will also be its World Premiere. Director Amber Fares tracks the lives of five spirited women – Marah, Mona, Betty, Noor and Maysoon – who happen to be the first all-woman rally-racing team in the Middle East.
As they conquer the auto-racing arena of Palestine in style, we learn about what really fuels their courage.
Jordanian director Naji Abou Nowar’s Theeb, a Bedouin Western shot in the deserts of Jordan with real Bedouins, is a robust drama. During World War I, a young Bedouin boy Theeb, in the Ottoman province of Hijaz, has to make sense of a hurried coming-of-age experience when he sets off on a dangerous desert trip to guide a British officer to his secret destination.
Tomm Moore, director of the Academy Award-nominated The Secret of Kells, has fetched considerable acclaim for this enchanting animated film steeped in the wondrous worlds of Irish myth. The adventure is inspired by the ancient Irish legend of the selkies – magical beings who live as seals in the water and as humans on land. Young Ben and his little sister Saoirse must unlock the magical secrets of their ancestry in order to find their way home.
Legendary Lebanese poet Kahlil Gibran’s classic has been one of the bestselling books of the 20th century and has been translated into more than 40 languages. Ajyal’s closing film is a spectacular feature film, directed by Roger Allers, immortalising Gibran’s thought-stirring tale on celluloid. The film had its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival and is co-funded by the DFI and produced by Salma Hayek Pinault.
Top Japanese Anime director Isao Takahata, also the co-founder of Studio Ghibli with Hayao Miyazaki, has earned many accolades for this masterpiece that gives new life to a 10th century Japanese folk tale. Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter and his wife, a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthralls all who encounter her – but ultimately she must confront her fate, the punishment for her crime.
Inspirational and heart-warming, this Canadian film is all about refusing to accept your limitations and braving on. Blind since the age of two, 17-year-old Alex Taylor dreams of flying, and somewhat more realistically, of participating in his school’s cross-country track meet. Help comes in the way of Brad, a kid who is always in trouble with the law.
Young Iranian woman Sepideh’s dream is to study astronomy and become an astronaut. With role models like Albert Einstein and astronaut Anousheh Ansari, the first Iranian in space, the 16-year-old steadfastly pursues stargazing, despite it being inappropriate in her society for girls to step out at night.
Outside of Addis Ababa, Hirut, a bright 14-year-old girl, was kidnapped on her way home from school. Trying to escape, she shot one of her abductors with his rifle. She now faces a gruelling legal trial, which becomes a fight against law and tradition, especially when her lawyer sues the Ministry of Justice. Difret is this year’s Ethiopian Oscar hopeful.
From her childhood bedroom in the Chicago suburbs, an American teenage girl Ala’a uses social media to run the revolution in Syria. Armed with Facebook, Twitter, Skype and cameraphones, she uses her social network in Damascus and Homs to bolster the protests in this timely documentary.
Director Damien Chazelle’s compelling musical drama has earned rave reviews all over. A promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realise a student’s potential.