Sharjah International Film Festival: 9 new films streaming free online

Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth (SIFF) has added nine new films to its online streaming edition. As film festivals go digital to adapt to the new entertainment landscape during this ongoing global pandemic, SIFF has added a variety of titles from seven nations, including animated, feature and short films, which can be streamed for free until the end of May via their website, Siff.ae.

‘Alike’, a nine-minute film by Spanish director Rafa Cano Mendez, revolves around dad Copi who tries to teaches his son Paste the correct way of mastering life.

In the animated short ‘Dust Buddies’ (directors Sam Wade, Beth Tomashek), a dust bunny has to rescue his friends from the vacuum cleaner.

Meanwhile, ‘Sadeya Left Sultan’, by Saudi Arabia’s Jawaher Al Amri, follows unemployed doctor Sultan who is desperate to meet his daughter after the breakdown of his marriage — with the help of puppet Sadeya.

Xiya Lan’s four-minute film ‘You Look Scary’ is about our tendency to exaggerate our fears, and revolves around a crocodile who visits the dentist.

‘Zombriella’ from German director Benjamin Gutsche is a 15-minute film about Miko, who, after having a nightmare about being haunted by zombies, befriends Zombriella and overcomes his fears.

In the feature film ‘Ranna's Silence’, from Iranian director Behzad Rafiei, a seven-year-old girl is traumatised when her special hen, Kakoli, is killed by a jackal.

Mexican director Maribel Suarez offers ‘A Hole’, about a young girl who unsuccessfully attempts to befriend a little hole in a farm, until a rainy day causes a plant to sprout out of it and changes her life.

Saudi director Musab Alamri’s 14-minute film ‘Coexistence’ is about two Muslim immigrant students in America who bond over football, but their friendship is tested when they realise they belong to two different sects.

‘Green’, a 10-minute film by Lucas Camps, is an absurdist comedy about a boy on his way to a college interview, who comes across a long line of people waiting at a seemingly everlasting red traffic light, refusing to let him pass.

Previously announced films include ‘The Chocolate Soldier’, ‘Sandarah’, ‘Overrun’, ‘Scent of Geranium’, ‘The Painting Tool’, ‘A Picture’, ‘Billy Flop’, ‘Booger’, ‘Charlie’s Buck Teeth’, ‘Fulfilament’, ‘The Best Sound in the World’, ‘Lost & Found’, ‘The Stained Club’ and ‘Barely There’. All films will be available to stream for free until the end of the month.