2015 Ajyal Youth Film Festival to provide an Interactive Out-Of-Cinema Experience at ‘Creativity Hub’

The third annual Ajyal Youth Film Festival, presented by the Doha Film Institute, will host a range of activities at its ‘Creativity Hub’, designed to entertain, educate and inspire creativity & innovation.

The ‘Ajyal Creativity Hub’ will offer guests an opportunity to explore an out-of-cinema experience, helping them discover the latest in technology, the media arts and world cultures. Running from 30 November to 5 December, the Ajyal Creativity Hub will host specially curated workshops, performances and fun activities devised to spark the imagination and promote creativity. Key components of the Ajyal Creativity Hub, which is free for the public to attend, include the popular Sandbox digital exhibition space, Family Weekend activities, and the festival’s special 2015 initiative - Geekdom: Video Game Exhibition.

Geekdom: Video Game Exhibition is a special initiative for Ajyal 2015 that celebrates gaming and links video games to cinema with screenings and panels that discuss the impact of visual storytelling in contemporary media. The exhibition features a gaming lounge and a space for Qatari collectors and video-game lovers to share their interest with others. Participants include the Qatar Animation Centre, The Gaming Lounge, AnimeQtr, the Qatar FIFA Players, Khalasta Gaming and the Youth Hobbies Center. 

Some of the other fun activities at the exhibition include an Ajyal Superhero Film Hunt, an Ajyal FIFA Tournament, Ajyal Cosplay Competition and a Game Development Workshop and Ajyal Pitchathon amongst others. 

The Sandbox, running from 30 November to 5 December, is a unique interactive environment that provides hands-on access to the latest digital gadgets and technologies. A festival favorite of the past two editions, The Sandbox creates an exciting atmosphere for people of all ages featuring futuristic installations, educational games, apps and cool new tools. Some of the fun activities planned at Sandbox this year include creating graffiti with water, music with sticky notes and creating an immersive virtual world for participants. Additionally, to celebrate 120 years of cinema, Sandbox at Ajyal Creativity Hub will allow participants to recreate their favorite movie moments within the interactive playground.

The Ajyal 2015 Family Weekend offers a host of fun and creative activities for the entire family and people of all ages to engage in. From 3 to 5 December, community members are invited to a weekend of fun focusing on environmental and healthy lifestyle activities. The Ajyal Family Weekend also offers a playground of giant games, face-painting stations, 5D Cinema Simulator experience, a TV studio, musical concerts and cultural performances from around the world. Some of the highlights include a performance by the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, featured in the documentary Landfill Harmonic, a jazz rendition by nine-year old Norwegian YouTube sensation and cine-concert of live music by Festival Tout-Petits Cinema to accompany four short animated films. 

The third annual Ajyal Youth Film Festival consists of daily public screenings of local and international films; the popular ‘Made in Qatar’ section dedicated to showcasing home-grown talent from Qatar; SONY Cinema Under the Stars; family weekend; the Doha Giffoni Youth Media Summit; special events and exhibitions; the Sandbox interactive digital playground; school screenings; and the Ajyal Competition, where hundreds of young jurors between the ages of 8 and 21 will watch and discuss shorts and features and decide on the winning films.