Qatar’s Ajyal Film Festival opened over the weekend, dedicated to showcasing global film talent and creativity, as well as spotlighting Palestinian stories amid the ongoing Israel war in Gaza, and other injustices.

The 12th edition of the festival, titled ‘Moments that Matter’, highlighted the ongoing suffering experienced by the people of Gaza- currently being subject to Israel’s military offensive for over a year, as well as other regional atrocities – including Sudan – where a civil war had killed tens of thousands and ravaged several parts of the country.

This year, the festival’s organisers dedicated a section to topics related to Gaza with an anthology of short story films under the banner “From Ground Zero” which falls under the “Voices from Palestine programme”.

Curated by Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi, the collection of 22 short films by filmmakers from Gaza provides an intimate insight into the daily lives of Palestinians under war as well as their hopes and struggles for freedom from Israeli aggression.

The films, range from three to six minutes long and span different genres including narrative films, animation to documentaries, the Qatari official news agency QNA said.

The works feature films by Palestinian filmmakers including Ahmed Aldanaf, Basil Almaqousi, Mustafa Annabih, Bashar Albabaysi, and many more.

The festival will also include 90 young children from the besieged Gaza Strip, who will take part as jurors in choosing the winning films, said Qatar’s minister of education, Lolwah Alkhater.

Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, the festival’s director and chief executive of the Doha Film Institute, said: “Witnessing the catastrophe in Gaza taught us that every moment matters, for it could be the last. It also made us see the fundamental truth that we have the ability to channel the power of cinema to do good.”

“From Zero Distance is meant to be a vibrant tribute to the unmatched resilience of Gaza’s artists. These shorts are not merely stories of survival; they chronicle the strength of artistic expression that persists and endures during the worst of times,” she added.

Alremaihi said the showcasing of Palestinian cinema and stories serves to stress the need for recognition, justice and empathy, as tragedies continue to unfold in the region, Doha News said.

Alkhater added that the festival was held this year due to being “inspired by the steadfastness of the people in Gaza”.

The minister also expressed solidarity with those suffering in Gaza and praised the resilience of women in Sudan – where reports have emerged that rape and sexual assault are being used as weapons of war.

She also presented on Sunday an honourary award to Palestinian child Mahmoud Ajour from Gaza, who sought medical treatment in Qatar after losing both hands in the war, Qatari media reported.

Also highlighted is Sudan, with the showcasing of  ‘Sudan, Remembers US’, which tells the story of how Sudanese youth are trying to have a positive impact on their water-torn country, between the ousting of President Omar al-Bashir in 2019 and the outbreak of the ongoing civil war, fought between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The festival, running from November 16-23, will feature 66 films from 42 countries, with screenings in Katara, Sikkat Wadi Msheireb, Lusail and VOX Cinemas at Doha Festival City.

The annual film festival was cancelled last year in solidarity with the atrocities in the Gaza Strip, one and half months into Israel’s war that has now killed at least 43,922 Palestinians over 13 months of Israeli war.