The winning films, which are all locally made, were officially announced at a ceremony following the screening of the second Made in Qatar programme, presented by Occidental Petroleum Qatar.
The three judges, all industry professionals, Salah al-Mulla, a prominent actor from Qatar; Ely Dagher, a cross-media artist from Lebanon; and Dana Mado, a public relations and strategic marketing executive from Kuwait, released an official statement alongside the names, praising the quality of this year’s entries.
The Best Narrative Award went to Amal al-Muftah’s Smicha (Qatar/2017), which tells the heart-warming story of the bond between a seven-year-old girl, Lulwa, and her elderly grandfather, who is beginning to show signs of senility.
“The jury chose Smicha as the Best Narrative film for the heart-touching and different way it deals with love and care,” they said. The Best Documentary/Experimental Award went to Rawan al-Nassiri and Nada Bedair’s Treasures of the Past (Qatar/2017), which follows three cheerful, engaging and hard-working Qatari grandmothers, who have spent their lives in service to their families, bringing to mind the adage that a woman’s work is never done.
Explaining their choice, the jury said: “The film broke the stereotypical image of women of this period and highlighted their involvement in occupations that have almost died out.
The characters were very proud and positive and had a sense of humour and the film presented feminism in a new and bold light.”
For the first time, the Special Jury Narrative Award was a tie between Aisha al-Jaidah’s 1001 Days (Qatar/2017), an animated film that explores the story behind the story of the famous 1001 Nights, addressing eternal issues like sacrifice, equality and bravery, and Nibu Vasudevan’s Walls (Qatar/2017), a CG animation in which a race of skeleton-like, robotic creatures are engaged in a pointless, seemingly endless war with an unseen enemy.
The Special Jury Documentary/Experimental Award went to Rawda al-Thani’s I Have Been Watching You All Along (Qatar/2017), in which a girl explores an abandoned cinema and through a trance-like journey into its past through the celluloid clips she finds, creates a free-form narrative of her own, breathing new life into forgotten artefacts.
Presented by Occidental Petroleum Qatar, Made in Qatar’s 16 short films, a mix of animations, film and documentary, were shown in two programmes and demonstrate the sophistication and growing confidence and reach of Qatar’s diverse film community.
National Films Competition
During the ceremony, Doha Film Institute announced the new National Films Competition. Launched in the spirit of the National Day and mindful of the circumstances facing Qatar, the competition is for the best short film inspired by the latest speeches of His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.
Open to all people living in Qatar, applicants can submit their 30-second to 1-minute videos on www.dohafilminstitute.com
Deadline for submission is December 16. A jury will select the five best submissions, two of which will receive awards on Qatar National Day.
Today’s highlights
Today, the fifth Ajyal Youth Film Festival presented by Doha Film Institute continues its tradition of exploring universal themes within a local context, with films that educate, surprise and delight.
n Directed by Tala Hadid, House in the Fields (Morocco, Qatar/2017) is a privileged look at the fast-disappearing world of the amazing bards and storytellers of the isolated rural communities of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. Guardians of their community history and responsible for its transmission down the generations, they now find their ancient vocation threatened by technology and migration. The film screens at 7.45pm.
n A mix of animation, documentary and film, Abstract Visions is a programme of international short films showcasing some of the most unique, daring and original voices in cinema today and will take viewers from the deserts of Qatar, to the refuges crisis in France, via a tussle between a lumberjack and nature, and a young boy forced to look after his grandfather when they are both left behind by the truck in which they have been travelling. The programme screens at 8pm.
n Home is a programme of international short films that sets out to question the concept of the ‘home’ in all its forms, physical, emotional, environmental and cultural, exploring its relevance to our lives today. It screens at 8.30pm.
n This is also the last chance to see My Little Beasts, a world-premiere cine-concert collaboration with the Forum des Images, which combines the power of film with the magic of live music, in a series of short films that will appeal to children and adults alike. The film screens at 6.30pm and 7.30pm.
nOne can head to Katara Drama Theatre at 6pm for the third of the Ajyal Talks to hear acclaimed visual artist and filmmaker, Shirin Neshat, whose latest film, Looking for Oum Kulthum will be shown again tomorrow at an Ajyal Special Screening, discussing her life and art in conversation with Fatma al-Sehlawi.
n From 10am to 10pm, one can also enjoy Geekdom, a pop culture feast of comics, cosplay, movies, TV series and video games, and LeBlockade, a multimedia celebration of Qatar’s cultural resilience, at Katara buildings 18 and 19.
n Tickets are priced at QR25 for general screening and available for purchase 24 hours a day at ajyalfilm.com or from the Ajyal Katara Main Box Office in Katara Building 12, or the Ajyal FNAC Ticket Outlet, FNAC Qatar at Doha Festival City.
