The Ajyal Film Festival
‘Ajyal’, Arabic for ‘generations’, brings people of all ages together through screenings and events that inspire creative interaction and stimulate cinematic dialogue. We are excited to announce that the Ajyal Film Festival 2019 will be held at VOX Cinemas from 18 to 23 November.
1982
19 November
Rating: PG-13
As the academic year draws to a close in the mountains of Lebanon, eleven-year-old Wissam struggles to pluck up the courage to reveal his true feelings to classmate Joanna. But before he can, and with his school in the midst of their final exams, the air invasions on Beirut begin, and the pupils are to be sent home. However, the imminent danger only makes Wissam even more resolute, as it becomes clear that no one knows what tomorrow will bring.
Bombay Rose
19 and 21 November
Rating: 18+
Young Kamala makes flower garlands to sell on the streets of Bombay during the day, and at night works as a “dancer”. Desperately wishing to keep her little sister Tara away from the harsh life she leads, she uses her meagre earnings and those of her watchmaker grandfather to pay for school for the young girl. A chance encounter with Salim, the Muslim boy from across the street, offers hope of a better life for Kamala—who now must choose between fending for her family and finding true love.
To the Ends of the Earth
20 November
Rating: 15+
A young Japanese woman named Yoko finds her cautious nature tested when she travels to Uzbekistan to shoot the latest episode of a travel variety show. An upbeat and outgoing pro on camera, Yoko in her private life is a more complex and introverted character. Deftly dealing with a series of culture-clashes and misunderstandings, ‘To the Ends of the Earth’ is an intimate portrait of someone cast into a foreign land and struggling to find their bearings.
Sorry We Missed You
20 November
Rating: 15+
A gritty and impassioned portrait of a delivery driver and his family as they struggle to make ends meet in modern-day England. Devastated by the 2008 financial crisis and now unable to save enough for a mortgage, both Ricky and his wife are forced into ‘zero-hour’ contract work. The couples’ jobs are void of any real employment benefits or security and the strain this puts on them is palpable as they attempt to keep their family together on a tight-rope budget.
The Farewell
21 November
Rating: 15+
In this darkly-comedic, yet uplifting tale, Chinese-born, American-raised Billi (Awkwafina) finds out that her “Nai-Nai” has tragically been diagnosed with lung cancer. Although the whole family knows their beloved matriarch is terminally ill, everyone has decided not to tell Nai Nai herself. To spend her final moments together, they gather under the joyful guise of an expedited wedding, uniting family members scattered around the globe in this poignant drama that marries cultural specificity with universally relatable themes.
It Must Be Heaven
21 November
Rating: 18+
Award-winning Palestinian auteur Elia Suleiman masterfully uses his penetrating gaze and expressive body language to distill the soul of Palestine, and nowhere is this more evident than in his new surreal comedy ‘It Must Be Heaven’. Leaving his homeland for the bustling metropolises of Paris, New York and Montreal, Suleiman turns his signature observational style from Palestine to a broader world, full of comparable tension, absurdity and paranoia. In each new city, Suleiman is wide-eyed with curiosity and wonder at the daily lives of the respective inhabitants, yet time and again, something always seems to remind him of home.
Ailo's Journey
21 November
Rating: 15+
On the day of her firstborn’s naming ceremony, a mother seeks out a travelling holy man to bless her son, but is instead told that the boy will die at the tender age of twenty. Unable to take the ramifications of the prophecy, his father leaves to work in neighbouring Ethiopia. Continuously reminded of his predestined fate growing up, young Muzamil is coddled almost to the point of suffocation by his overprotective mother. Until Suliman, a cinematographer opens a window onto a whole new world for Muzamel, and slowly, he comes to doubt the veracity of the prophecy.
Talking About Trees
22 November
Rating: PG-13
Ibrahim, Suleiman, Manar and Altayeb are founding members of the ‘Sudanese Film Group’. Friends for over four decades, but after years apart due to exile, the quartet of filmmakers are reunited and rekindle their dream of bringing cinema to the masses in their home country of Sudan. From the rubble of their wounded nation’s film industry, and using whatever materials are on hand, the four intrepid friends attempt to restore their country’s cultural history through the power of film.
The Arctic Camels
22 November
Rating: PG
Torarin and Svalin live way up in Arctic Norway. Initially wanting horses to ride, they quickly get over their disappointment when their father buys them two Bactrian camels instead. The plan is to train them and build a camel centre—but camels are stubborn animals, and teaching them is certainly not a job for an amateur. So, the family pack their bags and head on an expedition to Mongolia, hoping to find a professional who will help train their animals in Norway.
Made in Qatar
22 November
Rating: PG-13
The Unlucky Hamster by Abdulaziz Khashabi I 6’, Revive the Lira's Glory by Alessandra El Chanti I 4’, Desert Bounty by Yassine Ouahrani I 11’, Batch 10 by Sana Al-Ansari I 8’, Ana Bas by Tony El Ghazal, Ayah Awartani I 7’, Beit Byoot by Mayar Hamdan I 10’, Ships by Dhabya Al-Muhannadi I 6’, Paper Kite by Nada Bedair I 7’, Doubled by Rana Al Khouli I 16’, Ghassan's Green Door by Lubna Mohsin, Munera AlDosari I 7’, Oh Ya Maal by Majdy Naeem Al - Sukhni I 18’, Beyond Boundaries by Hemanth Madupu, Claudia Herrera I 4’
Experience: Short Film Programme
22 November
Rating: 15+
Ambience by Wisam Al Jafari l 15’, Aziza by Soudade Kaadan l 13’, End of the Road by Ahmad Adnan Al-Sharif l 12’, For the Sake of Yousef by Yousef Al Bagshi l 5’, In The Middle by Mariam Al-Dhubhani l 14’, It's a Long Way From Amphioxus by Kamal Aljafari l 15’, Patision Avenue by Thanasis Neofotistos l 13', The Black Veil by A.J. Al-Thani l 17’, The Ostrich Politic by Mohamad Houhou l 6’, Threads by Torill Kove l 9’
The Wizard of Oz: Kids Red Carpet
22 November
Rating: PG
A cherished childhood favourite for many around the world, 'The Wizard of Oz' is a perennial fantasy musical from MGM's golden years of cinema. During a fierce tornado, Dorothy is whisked to Oz, a land of pure imagination. Her journey there will take her through emerald forests, yellow brick roads, and creepy castles, all with the help of some unusual but earnest song-happy friends. As resonant today as it was then, this masterpiece is a must-see film for young and old.
Jacob, Mimmi and the Talking Dogs
23 November
Rating: PG
Jacob dreams of becoming an architect, just like his busy dad, and spends most of his time drawing buildings. But when his father needs to go out of town on a business trip, Jacob must spend a week with his bossy cousin Mimmi. When the pair discover that a businessman plans to transform a local parkland into skyscrapers, they know they must save the area—and find unexpected help from a pack of local dogs that can talk!
You Will Die at Twenty
23 November
Rating: 18+
On the day of her firstborn’s naming ceremony, a mother seeks out a travelling holy man to bless her son, but is instead told that the boy will die at the tender age of twenty. Unable to take the ramifications of the prophecy, his father leaves to work in neighbouring Ethiopia. Continuously reminded of his predestined fate growing up, young Muzamil is coddled almost to the point of suffocation by his overprotective mother. Until Suliman, a cinematographer opens a window onto a whole new world for Muzamel, and slowly, he comes to doubt the veracity of the prophecy.
For Sama
23 November
Rating: 18+
A love letter from a young mother to her daughter, the film tells the story of Waad al-Kateab’s life through five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria. We witness her fall in love, get married and give birth to Sama, all while cataclysmic conflict rises around her. Her camera captures incredible stories of loss, laughter and survival as Waad wrestles with an impossible choice—whether or not to flee the city to protect her daughter’s life, when leaving means abandoning the struggle for freedom for which she has already sacrificed so much.
Feel: Short Film Programme
23 November
Beit Byoot by Mayar Hamdan I 10’, Belles étoiles by Naïma Di Piero, Elhadj Sidibé I 12’, Child of the Earth by Claudio Fäh I 12’, Hedgehog by Vaibhav Keswani, Jeanne Laureau, Colombine Majou, Morgane Mattard, Kaisa Pirttinen, Jong-ha Yoon I 5’, Like an Elephant in a China Shop by Louise Chevrier, Luka Fischer, Rodolphe Groshens, Marie Guillon, Estelle Martinez, Benoit Paillard, Lisa Rasasombat I 6’, Ships by Dhabya Al-Muhannadi I 6’, Paper Kite by Nada Bedair I7’, The Kite by Martin Smatana I 13’, The Stained Club by Mélanie Lopez, Simon Boucly, Marie Ciesielski, Alice Jaunet, Chan Stéphie Peang, Béatrice Viguier I 7’, The Unlucky Hamster by Abdulaziz Khashabi I 6’
Overcome: Film Programme
23 November
Rating: 15+
Esperança by Cécile Rousset, Jeanne Paturle, Benjamin Serero l 5’ Fault Line by Soheil Amirsharifi l 15’ Fragile by Kholoud Al-Ali l 11’ Half and Half by Baptiste Salvan l 9’ Layla by Celine Cotran l 18’ Maradona's Legs by Firas Khoury l 23’ Memo by Julien Becquer, Éléna Dupressoir, Jules Durand, Viviane Guimarães, Ines Scheiber l 5’ Refuge by Maha Essid l 6’ Story by Jolanta Bankowska l 5’ The Helmet by Osama Khaled l 9’ Thermostat 6 by Maya Av-Ron, Mylène Cominotti, Marion Coudert, Sixtine Dano l 4’ Youth by Farida Zahran l 11’
Honeyland
23 November
Rating: PG
Deep in an isolated mountain range within the Balkans, Hatidze Muratova lives with her ailing mother. The last in a long line of Macedonian wild beekeepers, she ekes out a living collecting honey. When a neighbouring family moves in and tries to do the same, it becomes a source of tension when they disregard her age-old wisdom and advice—making a series of shortsighted decisions that could destroy her way of life forever.