Ajyal Film Festival (مهرجان أجيال السينمائي)

Ajyal Film Festival

مهرجان أجيال السينمائي

Also known as: Ajyal Youth Film Festival
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Ajyal Film Festival is Doha Film Institute’s youth-focused festival identity in Doha, Qatar. Its standalone festival programme brings international features and shorts together with Made in Qatar, family screenings, filmmaker conversations and workshops. Young jurors aged 8 to 25 form three age-based groups—Mohaq, Hilal and Bader—and choose awards for feature-length and short films, with funding supporting the winning directors’ next projects.

Ajyal’s festival history includes editions from 2013 to 2024. Its youth-jury tradition now continues within Doha Film Festival through a film competition judged by young people and separate film-club experiences for younger audiences. Its emphasis remains on discussion, film appreciation and participation across generations.

Country

Qatar

Categories

Animation, Documentary, Feature, Short

Awards and prizes

In the standalone Ajyal festival format, each of the Mohaq, Hilal and Bader youth juries selects a best feature and a best short, with funding for the winning directors’ next projects. The programme also includes a Bariq audience vote, a Made in Qatar award selected by industry professionals and the Ajyal Audience Award. Ajyal now continues as a competition within Doha Film Festival. The published 2026 regulations specify a Best Feature Film award of US$35,000 and a Best Short Film award of US$12,000, each with a trophy. These current prizes belong to the Ajyal competition at Doha Film Festival.

Festival rules

Ajyal’s current film competition operates within Doha Film Festival. Under the published 2026 regulations, short films may be submitted; features are selected by invitation. All genres are eligible, and films must hold Middle Eastern premiere status, excluding North Africa. Shorts have a maximum runtime of 20 minutes, subject to programming exceptions; features have a minimum runtime of 60 minutes. Selections address themes relevant to the Ajyal Jury, aged 16 to 25. No entry fee is required. Submissions include a private viewing link, and non-English films require English subtitles. The published regulations and programming team determine eligibility and exceptions.

Contacts

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