The 24 short films competing at this year’s Ajyal Youth Film Festival present a rich showcase of inspiring tales from 19 countries that will help raise awareness on global issues amongst the youth, the Doha Film Institute (DFI) said.
“These films will also help stimulate the youth’s creativity and thought process,” it was explained in a statement yesterday. The festival is running from November 30 to December 5 at Katara – the Cultural Village.  
From political statements to heartwarming tales of love and loss, DFI said the shorts include international film festival award winners, that invariably make an emotional connect with audiences.
“We sourced films from across the world to present our jurors a vivid cross-section of movies that present new perspectives on life and contribute to their development as responsible global citizens,” DFI CEO and festival director Fatma al-Remaihi noted.
“In line with the theme of our festival, we focused on films that inspire our audiences with the lighter as well as profound side of life, and encourages them to contribute to positive social change,” she added.
Nine short films under the Mohaq category will be evaluated by the Ajyal jurors aged 8 to 12. Jurors aged 13 to 17 comprise the Hilal jury, who will watch six films, while the Bader jury comprising young people aged 18 to 21 will watch nine.
Each of the three Ajyal juries will choose the Best Film from their categories, and the winning directors will receive funding support for their next film.
This year, four short films that are part of the Ajyal competition will also vie for the top honours in the Made in Qatar awards open for filmmakers from Qatar or those who call Qatar home.
The short films in the Mohaq category include Dana’s Kite by Noor al-Nasr, Fish by Andrew Ruiz, Heer by Honey B Singh, I Don’t Even Like Her by Christelle al-Kayssar, I’ve Just Had a Dream by Javi Navarro, Kashta by AJ al-Thani, The Moustache by Anni Oja, Riceballs by Shingo Usami, and Tangency by Bashi Kasawneh.
The films in the Hilal category are equally diverse: Ari by Alex Murawski, Gaurav and the Kites by André H?rmann, King’s Day by Steven Wouterlood,  More Than Two Days by Ahmed Abdelnaser, Pien, Queen of the Bees by Ellen Vloet, The Rifle, the Jackal, and The Wolf and the Boy by Oualid Mouaness.
The nine films in Bader tackle some bold themes with the 2016 Oscar-nominated Ave Maria directed by Basil Khalil, discussing the breaking down of stereotypes in a film about Arab nuns and Israeli settlers in West Bank.
Other films for the Bader category include Damaged Goods by Nermin Hamzagi, Mariam by Faiza Ambah, The Silence by Ali Asgari and Farnoosh Samadi, Dry Hot Summers by Sherif Elbendary’s, A New Home by ?iga Virc, The Waiting Room by Hend Fakhroo, Waves ’98 by Ely Dagher, and Yellow by Mohamed Salman.
Dana’s Kite, Kashta, More Than Two Days and The Waiting Room are also part of the ‘Made in Qatar’ category.