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Doha, Qatar; October 28, 2013: Film education and appreciation is set to take a whole new course with the ‘Doha Film Experience,’ at the Ajyal Youth Film Festival presented by the Doha Film Institute. Registration is now open for the region’s young film enthusiasts for their chance to participate as a juror at the forthcoming inaugural edition of the Festival in November.

During the course of the Doha Film Experience, hundreds of young jurors, from ages 8 to 21, will be given the opportunity to watch an array of films under three categories – Mohaq, Hilal, and Bader – followed by discussions and events spanning workshops and Q&A sessions with the directors and stars. On the closing night of the Festival, the young jurors from the Doha Film Experience will vote for the films and award the ones they consider most outstanding.

Previously known to film fans as the Doha-Giffoni Experience, the ‘Doha Film Experience’, an expanded programme, is at the heart of the Ajyal Youth Film Festival.

Fatma Al Remaihi, Festival Director, said: “Based on our successful experience with this program in the past, we have further enhanced the initiative to offer a unique educational experience. For five days, young people will participate in screenings, workshops and discussions designed to encourage appreciation of film and culture. They will be encouraged to express themselves, connect with and learn from others, and discover new things about the world around them. We are really proud and excited about this program and encourage families to enroll their children. We want to empower our youth – they are the leaders of tomorrow”.

The Doha Film Experience will provide selected jurors, passionate about film, with an opportunity to watch, analyze and discuss films from all over the world, developing critical thinking, self expression, and art appreciation. The experience will also help foster new friendships with other young film fans from across the globe and provide a forum to share thoughts and opinions inspired by the film selection. The jurors will also participate in a multitude of exciting film related activities and workshops that will bring them closer to different cultures helping to drive positive change through the medium of film.

In all, 42 films will be watched and critiqued, spanning short films, documentaries, and narratives. The films, both in-competition and out-of-competition, will be further categorised under Bariq (for families with kids aged between 4-7 years old), Mohaq, Hilal, and Bader segments.

Vying for top honours will be four features and six short films in the Hilal category, for youngsters between the ages of 13 to 17, while four feature and eight short films, adjudicated by jurors from the ages of 18 to 21, will go head-to-head in the Bader in-competition segment. Additionally, seven shorts will compete for top prizes in the Mohaq Competition segment for the ages 8-12.

Winners of the in-competition segment will receive a development award through the Ajyal Film Fund.
Prizes in the short film competition include the Best Filmmaker Awards in the Mohaq, Hilal and Bader segments for USD 5,000 each. Feature film competition prizes include the Best Feature Filmmaker Award in the Hilal and Bader categories for USD 15,000 each.

Under the out-of-competition segment, 11 short films in the Bariq section will be reviewed by children between the ages of 4 to 7 years, spanning entries from Canada, India, UAE, USA, Germany, Italy, UK, Egypt, and Belgium; while Mohaq, for children between the ages of 8 to 12, will feature two feature films, from Iran and Spain, and seven short films from UK, Poland, Germany, Japan, UAE, and Netherlands.

The Ajyal Youth Film Festival builds on the Doha Film Institute’s history of community-based programming. Ajyal invites generations to come together to discuss cinema through events that inspire creative interaction, opening up a fun, collaborative environment where young people can express themselves.

To register for the Doha Film Experience, please visit: https://www.dohafilminstitute.com/pages/ajyal-jury-application