A Hero

Special Screening | Ajyal at Vox | Ajyal at Katara | Opening Night - Ajyal Film Festival 2021

Rahim finds himself in jail for incurring a business debt he is unable to repay. While on a two-day leave,

Asghar Farhadi / Iran, France / Feature Narrative

Adaptation

Ajyal Competition | Ajyal at Vox - Ajyal Film Festival 2021

A young red-haired boy draws the ire of local bullies because of his unique appearance and must summon the courage to stand up for himself.

Ngima Gelu Lama / Portugal / Short Narrative

And Then They Burn the Sea

Ajyal Competition | Made in Qatar | Ajyal at Vox | Ajyal at Katara - Ajyal Film Festival 2021

Filmmaker Majid Al-Remaihi ruminates on the experience of witnessing his mother’s gradual and terminal memory loss over the course of many years.

Majid Al-Remaihi / Qatar / Short Documentary

Asteroid

Ajyal Competition | Ajyal at Vox - Ajyal Film Festival 2021

Ebrahim is only twelve years of age but bears much of the responsibility for his household of five younger siblings with his mother.

Mehdi Hoseinivand Aalipour / Iran / Feature Narrative

Atlal (Remnants)

Made in Qatar | Ajyal at Vox | Ajyal at Katara - Ajyal Film Festival 2021

A wistful Palestinian man embarks on a trip down memory lane to the pivotal locations of his life in Qatar—all of which now lay abandoned.

Tony El Ghazal, Balkees Al-Jaafari / Qatar / Short Documentary

Bambirak

Ajyal Competition | Ajyal at Vox - Ajyal Film Festival 2021

When 8-year-old Kati stows away in her father's delivery van, Faruk must juggle his responsibilities as a single dad while holding down his first job in a new country.

Zamarin Wahdat / United States of America, Germany / Short Narrative

Before Darkness

Ajyal Competition | Ajyal at Vox - Ajyal Film Festival 2021

An Afghan woman hides her child because she does not have enough money to take them both across Iran’s border. But her plan is exposed with heartbreaking consequences.

Mosayeb Hanaei / Iran, Afghanistan / Short Narrative

BJ's Mobile Gift Shop

Ajyal Competition | Ajyal at Vox - Ajyal Film Festival 2021

BJ, a young Korean-American hustler, tirelessly runs throughout the city of Chicago making hard-earned sales out of his infinitely convenient “mobile gift shop”.

Jason Park / United States of America / Short Narrative

Border

Made in Qatar | Ajyal at Vox | Ajyal at Katara - Ajyal Film Festival 2021

In an abstrusely dystopian future, a man wishes to return to his family. But navigating the complex system becomes a near-impossible journey.

Khalifa Al-Thani / Qatar / Short Narrative

Brother's Keeper

Ajyal Competition | Ajyal at Vox - Ajyal Film Festival 2021

Yusuf and his best friend Memo are pupils at a boarding school for Kurdish boys in Eastern Anatolia.

Ferit Karahan / Turkey / Feature Narrative

Captains of Zaatari

Ajyal Competition | Ajyal at Vox - Ajyal Film Festival 2021

After fleeing the war in Syria, best friends Mahmoud and Fawzi have spent the last five years in Jordan's Za'atari refugee camp.

Ali El Arabi / Egypt / Feature Documentary

Changing Times

Ajyal Competition | Ajyal at Vox - Ajyal Film Festival 2021

Change is inevitable; it is how we adapt and overcome that defines us. In this dynamic programme of shorts, we explore the natural state of turmoil and seek to find meaning in chaos.