Ajyal Festival opens with screening of The Eagle Huntress today

The red carpet and premiere screening of The Eagle Huntress (Mongolia, UK, US/ 2016) at Katara – the Cultural Village will mark the opening of the fourth Ajyal Youth Film Festival today.
The inspiring Kazakh film is a heartwarming celebration of the passion of a determined young woman, the special bond she shares with her father, and the ability of the human spirit to rise to a challenge, the Doha Film Institute (DFI) said in a statement yesterday.
Director Otto Bell and actress Aisholpan Nurgaiv will grace the opening ceremony, which will host more than 550 young Ajyal jurors from across the world.
The Eagle Huntress is one of the 70 thought-provoking films, highlighting the theme of positive social change. The motivational line-up includes 24 features and 46 short narratives/documentaries from 33 countries.
DFI noted that the six-day event will make 42 public screenings, 18 jury screenings, interactive panels and master-classes, red carpets, exhibitions and family activities.
The festival will also see three sessions of “insightful discussions” under ‘Ajyal Talks’, which provide an inspiring interaction with people who have a positive influence on the youth in the region and highlight the issues affecting them.
“We aim to engage the youth meaningfully, promote debate and dialogue on global and regional issues, and inspire critical thinking among them,” festival director and DFI CEO Fatma al-Remaihi said.
A thought-provoking conversation series with regional experts on global issues and trends, Ajyal Talks 2016 will be headlined by three eminent social influencers: Omar Hussein, who works with Syrian refugees through the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) as well as with AJ+, Al Jazeera’s online news and current affairs channel; Mohammed al-Hajji, a doctoral student and teaching assistant in the social and behavioural sciences at Temple University in Philadelphia; and Khaled Khalifa, UNHCR regional representative to GCC countries.
Open to the public free of charge, all Ajyal Talks aim to promote intercultural dialogue to foster original thinking and positive action.
The first Ajyal Talks will see Hussein tackle ‘When 1 Thousand > 1 Million’ on December 1 at 7.30pm (Katara Opera House). It will highlight the difference between passively watching and being affected by digital content – and how that content can spur people to action rather than simply gathering a larger viewership.
A comedian, Hussein wrote and presented the YouTube programmes On the Go and Truth Be Said, and was the presenter of Al Jami3a on television.
Al-Hajji will speak about ‘What I Learned in My Twenties’ on December 2 at 6pm (Katara Drama Theatre). He will outline the major life lessons he learned as a young GCC student living in the USA.
Khalifa’s Ajyal Talks on ‘Why Refugees Matter’ will take place on December 4 at 7pm (Katara Opera House) and will follow the screening of the film Born in Syria (Spain, Denmark/2016), a special screening at the festival. He will share his insights on the current global displacement crisis, with a focus on the situation of Syrian refugees.
Directed by Hern?n Zin, Born in Syria follows seven young refugees over the course of a year – from their escape from their homeland, experiences in camps in the Middle East, arrival in Europe, and the settling into their new homes. The film will screen on December 4 at 5pm.