The first Ajyal Film Festival for the Young will be held from Nov. 26 to 30, the Doha Film Institute has announced.

The festival, part of DFI’s plans to retool its offerings following the end of its partnership with Tribeca, will focus on international youth cinema. In a statement, festival director Fatma Al Remaihi said:

“Film education and appreciation are central to engaging young people in cinema…

It’s an investment in today’s youth – so it’s really an investment in the future. Our aim is to encourage today’s young people to take on the challenges of the future, so they can become the artists and professionals of tomorrow.”

Over the course of five days, Ajyal will screen films competing in the feature narrative and short films categories, as well as a Made in Qatar segment. Masterclasses will also be held, as well as workshops for residents of all ages.

Second festival on tap

After Ajyal, DFI has said it will host a second annual event – the Qumra Film Festival – in March 2014, which aims to give a leg up to first- and second-time film directors through exposure, competitions and grant awards. Screenings of early films by established directors will also be part of the program.

In April, DFI and the New York-based Tribeca announced they were parting ways after four years of film festivals and a slew of cultural tie-ups. Neither cited an exact reason for the split, but a DFI spokeswoman previously told Doha News that “it was just time to do something different.”

DFI is now accepting film submissions for the Ajyal festival. There is no entry fee and the deadline is Aug. 25. More information can be found here.

Thoughts?

Credit: Photo by Doha Film Institute