VIS and the Ajyal Film Festival 2017

Blog post author: Karl Rydlo, Head of PE Department

VIS students participated in the Ajyal Youth Film Festival 2017

About twenty high school students from both the boys’ and girls’ divisions of Vision International School, Qatar took part in the 5th annual Ajyal Youth Film Festival in Doha, Qatar.

Ajyal, meaning ‘generations’ in Arabic, invites people of all ages to come together and discuss cinema through events that inspire creativity and interaction. Driven with the goal to inspire and create, Ajyal Youth Film Festival has been designed to empower the region’s youth and to inspire film enthusiasts, opening up a fun and collaborative environment, where young people can express themselves through the beauty of filmmaking.

 

The festival was held at Katara Cultural Village from November 29th until December 4th, 2017. The largest to date, it screened 103 films from 43 countries, including 20 feature films and 83 short films, illustrating the ability of storytelling to transcend borders, transform minds and touch hearts.

 

Since the beginning of academic year 2017/2018, our students have been taking an elective Film Study class taught by Ms. Sukey Oleson and Mr. Karl Rydlo. Together with 550 other youngsters from 45 countries, aged between 8 and 21, the students screened and voted on 4 feature and 10 short films, including the award-winning animated film “The Breadwinner”. Executive-produced by celebrity actress Angelina Jolie, the film portrays a tale of female empowerment and imagination in the face of oppression, and a celebration of the culture, history, and beauty of Afghanistan.

 

Festival also featured the Ajyal Talks, a series of open discussions about real, globally relevant issues and the power that film can have in increasing global awareness. Subjects included child trafficking, the ways in which media can influence perceptions, and the power of art in overcoming adversity.

 

Ajyal Youth Film Festival and beyond…

Vision International School’s students will further expand their knowledge in film-making by continuing to participate in their elective Film Study class that has been offered in partnership with Doha Film Institute. Dr. Bobbi McDaniel, the girls’ division principal introduced the program to VIS at the beginning of 2017/2018. The ultimate goal of the program is to produce a short film that will be featured in the “Made in Qatar Category” at next year’s Ajyal Youth Film Festival.

“The best part of the Ajyal Youth Festival was that we could watch movies we would have never heard of or seen in the movie theatre!”

 

Student Testimonials:

Marcus, Grade 9

The best part of the Ayal Youth Festival was that we could watch movies we would have never heard of or seen in the movie theatre! We watched movies we never heard of before, made new friends, and even got to see famous people! The best part was that Sheikh Tamim, The Emir of Qatar, gave us a surprise visit and I even saw some big stars including Sophia Bush and Kaya Scodelario.

The full-feature movie that I enjoyed and voted for was and had to be Walking Out. Walking Out is a very interesting story about an urban teenager, who journeys to rural Montana to hunt big game with his estranged, “off the grid” father. I loved the story and how it was based on a book, which I have not read yet, so I am actually planning on getting the book. It got me interested!

 

Abdulla, Grade 11

My favorite part of Ajyal Youth Film festival 2017 was Q&A session after movie screenings. In this section, we could ask someone from the moviemakers (director, producer, or actor) about anything from the movie. I participated in all of them! I think it is very important to expose young generation to filmmaking industry, for many reasons, for example, to give an opportunity to express their opinions and to enable them to learn more about a possible future career.