Doha Film Institute (DFI) has entered into a new colloboration with Italy’s Giffoni Film Festival to support emerging filmmakers and develop cinema appreciation among youth of the country.

With the new Ajyal Film Festival for the young set to take place between November 26 and 30 this year, DFI is expecting to formalise this new cutural agreement that will in turn strengthen its four-year partnership with Giffoni Film Festival, the largest film festival for children in Europe.

Abdulaziz Al Khater, CEO of DFI, said: “DFI is moving forward in a new direction, focusing its support on emerging international filmmakers and on galvanising the culture of cinema appreciation in Doha. Devising collaborations with like-minded organisations from around the world is part of this thinking.

“The Giffoni Film Festival has a firmly established reputation for excellence and lengthy experience in exploring cinema for young people. This makes Giffoni an especially effective partner for DFI in enhancing cinema appreciation among Qatar’s youth,” he added.

DFI and Giffoni will hope to draw mutual benefits from each other’s experiences in creating programming for younger audiences through the new colloboration. DFI will create and launch the Doha Film Experience, an expanded youth jury programme modelled on the earlier Doha-Giffoni Experience that will put hundreds of young people on the juries that will choose Ajyal’s prize winners.

The cultural partnership aims to provide a fun and engaging mechanism for the exchange of cultural knowledge and experiences between youth audiences from Qatar, Italy and the rest of the world.

Claudio Gubitosi, founder and managing director of Giffoni Experience said: “We have been working closely with DFI on various initiatives and we are excited to broaden our collaboration through this cultural partnership. DFI shares our dedication to engaging and inspiring younger audiences through film and together we can provide stronger platforms for young people from all over the world to share their experiences and discuss film.”

Fatma Al Remaihi, festival director of Ajyal and DFI’s head of programmes, said, “An investment in engaging and encouraging cultural exchange and knowledge in upcoming generations is a valuable and important investment in their future as well as ours.

“We are excited to have this opportunity to work closely with Giffoni, as we see tremendous potential to design programming and experiences that will solidify awareness around cinema and give young people the space to express themselves creatively and honestly. With Giffoni’s help, we will continue to encourage today’s young people to take on the challenges of the future, so they can become the artists and professionals of tomorrow.”

DFI has had a very productive relationship with the Giffoni Film Festival since 2010 during which they have collaborated on programming for younger audiences, and brought international youth jury members to Doha for the Doha-Giffoni Experience during DFI’s annual film festival, while DFI sent young people to Giffoni to sit on juries there.

The successful and popular joint programme brought hundreds of children and young people together to discuss their views on cinema with their peers, hone their skills of film analysis, and forge lifelong international friendships. - TradeArabia News Service