Qatar’s home-grown film industry marks another milestone with Doha Film Institute (DFI) showcasing 16 films in Made in Qatar presented by Ooredoo at the sixth edition of Ajyal Film Festival, which is to be held at Katara – the Cultural Village from November 28 to December 3.
Made in Qatar presented by Ooredoo will once again shine the spotlight on home grown talents with 16 films by Qatari directors and Qatar-based filmmakers, highlighting the diversity of creative talent in Qatar and also underlines the remarkable growth of the country’s film sector, DFI has said in a statement.
The films will vie for the Made in Qatar Awards, chosen by a jury that includes Turkish actress Tuba Unsal, Dr Amal Mohamed al-Malki, founding dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, and Irish filmmaker Collin McIvor. 
Made in Qatar will once again present two film programmes with narratives and documentaries and includes the world premieres of recently completed projects from previous Qatar Film Fund recipients, Amal al-Muftah’s ‘Sh’hab’, Naif al-Malki’s ‘I Am Not My Father’, Mahdi Ali Ali’s ‘Amphitheater’ and ‘Nasser Goes to Space’ by Mohamed al-Mahmeed.



‘Sh'hab’ (2018) by Amal al-Muftah


‘Voyager’ (2018) by Khalifa AlMarri

“Made in Qatar holds a special place in the Ajyal Film Festival programming, highlighting our local creative talents and inspiring young filmmakers to pursue their ambitions in filmmaking right here in Qatar,” said Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, festival director and CEO of DFI. “The quality of the films being produced in Qatar demonstrates an exciting path that our young filmmakers are forging in the industry.
“This year’s impressive slate of accomplished films stands out with bold subjects and brilliant narrative styles, and we are proud of the contribution of our young talents to building a vibrant creative industry in Qatar and inspiring their peers. We have been honoured to work with these talented filmmakers, grow alongside them and amplify their cinematic voices through this annual event.” 
Tickets are already being sold at FNAC stores (Lagoona Mall and Doha Festival City) and will go on sale at the Ajyal Katara Main Box office, Building 12, on November 17. Online ticket sales have also started at www.dohafilminstitute.com/festival. 
For more details on the Ajyal Film Festival, one can visit www.dohafilminstitute.com/filmfestival.

This year’s Made in Qatar section at Ajyal consists of two programmes of shorts that include narratives, thought-provoking documentaries and reflective essays.

Programme 1 - November 29, 6.15pm at Katara Drama Theatre

• ‘Al Gawasa’ (2018) by Sheikha Bahzad and Maryam Althani
• ‘Gubgub’ (2018) by Nouf al-Sulaiti
• ‘I Am Not My Father’ (2018) by Naif Hassan al-Malki
• ‘Millennials’ (2017) by Aisha al-Shammakh
• ‘One in 50 Million’ (2018) by Luciana Ceccatto Farah
• ‘Sh'hab’ (2018) by Amal al-Muftah
• ‘Voyager’ (2018) by Khalifa AlMarri 
• ‘A Moment with the Wind’ (2018) by Ibrahim Nashat

Programme 2 - December 1, 7pm at Katara Drama Theatre

• ‘Amphitheater’ (2018) by Mahdi al-Ali
• ‘The Bleaching Syndrome’ (2018) by Eiman Mirghani
• ‘Just Another Memory’ (2018) by Mariam al-Dhubhani
• ‘Nasser Goes to Space’ (2018) by Mohamed al-Mahmeed
• ‘The Reason, July 2017’ (2017) by Hadeer Omar
• ‘Samha’ (2018) by Ruqiya Khudai Noor and Noor Fawzi al-Asswad
• ‘Unrestrained’ (2018) by Houssam Laabar
• ‘Where Are You Right Meow?’ (2018) by Maysam al-Ani
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