2024 Ajyal Film Festival winners announced as event concludes

Doha, Qatar: The 12th edition of the Ajyal Film Festival, presented by Doha Film Institute (DFI), concluded yesterday with the winners of the Ajyal Ju...

Doha, Qatar: The 12th edition of the Ajyal Film Festival, presented by Doha Film Institute (DFI), concluded yesterday with the winners of the Ajyal Jury Competition honoured at a special ceremony held in Katara Cultural Village, Doha.

The Ajyal Jury Competition winners were selected by over 400 young jurors, aged 8 to 25, who watched a total of 66 thought-provoking films from 42 countries in three categories – Mohaq (8 to 12 years), Hilal (13 to 17 years) and Bader (18- to 25-year-old jurors). The award ceremony was attended by jurors, their parents, filmmakers and several distinguished guests.

One of the special moments at the Festival this year was the ‘Ajyal in Gaza’ programme that screened films from Qatar for 90 young jurors in Gaza, who awarded Above the Tamarind Tree (Qatar) by Buthyna Al Mohammadi the top honour.

The Made in Qatar Awards, which honour the works of Qatari and Qatar-based filmmakers, were evaluated by a three-member jury led by acclaimed Palestinian actor Saleh Bakri and included Kenyan filmmaker Debra Aroko and Qatari filmmaker Amal Al Muftah.

The winners are: Abdulaziz Jassim Award for Best Performance: Qatari filmmaker Ali Al Hajri -I Lay For You To Sleep, Best Director Award: Paul Abraham and Abdulla Al Hor- Alkaline, and Best Film Award: I Lay For You To Sleep - Ali Al Hajri.