Doha Film Institute’s Honors Qatar-Morocco Culture

Marrakech – The Doha Film Institute, in collaboration with the Nuwah Foundation and Tanjaflam unveiled a special edition of the Ajyal Film Club in Tangier from September 20 to 22, 2024.

Inspired by the renowned Ajyal Film Festival, the Ajyal Film Club brought the spirit of intergenerational dialogue through cinema to new audiences.

Led by Ajyal jurors, the program highlighted critical global issues, encouraging young people to engage with the transformative power of film.

As part of the Doha Film Institute’s annual initiatives, the Club fostered education and appreciation for cinema, equipping youth with the tools to think critically about the world around them.

This special edition in Tangier welcomed young Moroccan film enthusiasts aged 13 to 17 for three immersive days of screenings, workshops, and masterclasses led by industry experts.

With two Ajyal jurors joining from Qatar, the event also featured engaging discussions after each screening, enriching the experience and sparking meaningful conversations among the budding filmmakers.

Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, General Director of the Doha Film Institute, expressed her excitement about hosting this special edition of the Ajyal Film Club in Morocco to celebrate the strong ties between the two nations.

“The Club has allowed young people from Qatar to deepen their understanding of cinema, while also inspiring a similar passion for meaningful storytelling among Moroccan youth,” she noted. “We aim to encourage them to pursue their creative aspirations and play an active role in their communities by sharing their valuable ideas and perspectives.”

The Ajyal Film Club in Tangier kicked off on September 20 with the inspiring 2023 documentary “We Have a Dream” by renowned director Pascal Plisson.

This captivating film introduces viewers to extraordinary children from around the globe – Maud (France), Charles (Kenya), Nirmala and Khendo (Nepal), Xavier (Rwanda), and Antonio (Brazil) – who demonstrate how love, inclusive education, humor, and courage can truly move mountains.

Following the screening, an engaging live Q&A session hosted by Sophia Bakri and Faisal Abu-Shawareb allowed the audience to dive deeper into the film’s powerful themes.

A film critique and analysis workshop was also held, empowering participants to develop critical thinking skills as they dissected and evaluated cinematic techniques and thematic elements.

This deep dive into film artistry helped them grasp the craft of filmmaking, illustrating how various techniques shape a film’s message and impact.

On September 21, the Ajyal Film Club showcased the animated feature Saleem, directed by Cynthia Madanat Sharaiha.

The story follows Saleem, a 9-year-old boy who finds himself displaced and forced to start anew.

Haunted by memories of his past, his life takes a turn when a mystical pigeon appears, revealing what seems to be an ancient treasure map, and leading him on a new adventure. The screening was followed by a live Q&A session.

Additionally, a masterclass titled “Women and Cinema: Our Story, Our Future,” led by Khaoula Assebab Benomar, focused on empowering women in the film industry, encouraging them to tell their stories through a feminine lens.

Participants delved into the rich history of women in cinema, examining sociocultural dynamics and the evolution of policies and engagement.

Benomar, daughter of a pioneer in Moroccan television fiction, grew up on film sets, and her debut feature, “Le Clair Obscur”, has garnered numerous awards at international film festivals.

To conclude the event on September 22, Scrapper (2023), a vibrant and inventive father-daughter comedy directed by Charlotte Regan, was screened.

The film follows Georgie, a resourceful 12-year-old girl who secretly lives alone in her apartment in a working-class neighborhood of London after her mother’s passing.

Suddenly, her estranged father, Jason, reappears, forcing her to confront reality.

The final day also featured a masterclass with Jilali Ferhati, led by Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, the General Director of the Doha Film Institute and Director of the Ajyal Film Festival.

Participants gained valuable insights into story development, screenwriting, and the stages of production and distribution in the filmmaking process.

An acclaimed actor, director, writer, and producer, Ferhati is known for films like “Poupées de Roseau” (1982) and “The Beach of Lost Children” (1991); he has received accolades at prestigious festivals such as Cannes, Venice, and the Biennale of Arab Cinema.