Sharjah: The Sharjah International Children’s Film Festival (SICFF) is back in its second edition this year with aims to continue enriching the local cinema scene and fostering new young talents.
The festival, which has been organised by FUNN, a foundation specialised in enhancing children and adolescents’ access to arts and media, is held under the patronage of Shaikha Jawaher Bint Mohammad Al Qasimi, wife His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah. Shaikha Jawaher is also chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family affairs.
The festival will be launched on October 19 and will run until October 23.
The six-day festival, which is new to the region, is focused on educating children and adults in the UAE about the art of filmmaking and promoting interest in media arts.
At a press conference yesterday, Shaikha Jawaher Bint Abdullah Al Qasimi, Manager of FUNN and SICFF, announced that 112 films from 35 countries have been chosen this year and many of the films submitted come from a number of internationally renowned filmmakers, in addition to various films from Latin America, Africa, Europe, and the Far East.
“The festival was born as an ambitious idea from Shaikha Jawaher Bint Mohammad Al Qasimi, who always puts the welfare of children on top of her priority list, making sure children are given ample opportunity for cognitive and intellectual growth in the form of oriented entertainment,” said Shaikha Jawaher Bint Abdullah Al Qasimi.
She added that among the 112 films, 10 were submitted by Emiratis and 24 were by children and the films “represent a wealth of cultures, interests, and creativity that is guaranteed to enrich viewers, children and adults”.
This year the films will be screened publicly in five cities — Al Madam, Dibba Al Hisn, Kalba, Al Dhaid and Khor Fakkan — in order to reach a wider audience, and will consist of a panel of four judges, she said.
The SCIFF will also give out awards this year based on five categories: best short movie, best epic, best animated movie, best documentary, and the best children-produced movie. Top winners will receive monetary awards worth a total of Dh 50,000.
This year the festival will incorporate more interactive sessions and workshops where children will learn scriptwriting, photography, filmmaking, and other media-related arts, according to Shaikha Jawaher Bint Abdullah.
“This festival represents a new start for children films in the Middle East, as it will focus on high-quality cinema that presents influential ideas and content. This is guaranteed to motivate young talents to pursue their dreams in the art world, as well as established film-makers to tackle issues that support children’s causes in the Arab world and beyond,” she said.
