CHAIRMAN: DR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: DR. KHALID MUBARAK AL-SHAFI

Qatar

8th Ajyal Film Festival to open with Majid Majidi’s ‘Sun Children’

Published: 10 Nov 2020 - 10:50 am | Last Updated: 04 Nov 2021 - 10:53 am
A still from the film ‘Sun Children’, by acclaimed director Majid Majidi.

A still from the film ‘Sun Children’, by acclaimed director Majid Majidi.

The Peninsula

Doha: Acclaimed director Majid Majidi’s Sun Children, which debuted at Venice Film Festival earlier this year, will be the opening film of the eighth Ajyal Film Festival presented by Doha Film Institute (DFI) in a first-ever hybrid format from November 18 to 23. 

Centring around the issue of child labour, Sun Children illustrates the resiliency and creativity of youth, which when nurtured brings lasting social change and creates the great innovators and problem-solvers of tomorrow.

DFI is proud to have supported 24 films at the Festival in its programmes, including Grants, Co-Financing, Qatari Film Fund and mentorship through its labs and workshops. These include 200 Meters, Unusual Summer, Gevar’s Land, Their Algeria, among others.

This year’s public film programme builds on Ajyal’s strong reputation for curating the best in international cinema with a line-up of 80 films from 46 countries including 22 features and 50 shorts, 31 by incredible Arab filmmakers and 30 helmed by extraordinary women directors.

The spirit of Ajyal is about bringing communities together, and the challenges of this year have opened exciting new opportunities to bring even more people together in the communal cinema experience beyond physical attendance. With the safety of all participants in mind, film screenings can be enjoyed via a mix of DFI’s online streaming platform, at in-person screenings at VOX Cinemas Doha Festival City and the exciting new Drive-In Cinema experience in Lusail in partnership with Qatar National Tourism Council. 

Expanding Ajyal’s audiences beyond Qatar borders, various countries in the MENA region will also have access to a select lineup of Festival films online.

The 2020 Ajyal Film Festival’s Official Partners include Katara Cultural Village Foundation (Cultural Partner); Qatar National Tourism Council (Principal Partner); Novo Cinemas and Ooredoo (Strategic Partners), and Msheireb Properties, Lusail and Qatari Diar (Signature Sponsors).