Panel discussions on cinema issues and interviews with selected filmmakers on the “Green Carpet” platform
Jawaher bint Abdullah:
The festival establishes Sharjah’s position as an incubator for creativity and a sponsor of the arts
● Discussion sessions with Rasha Rizk, Fadel Al Muhairi, Dixie Ijrix and Waad Al Khatib
● The shows are distributed in Al Jawaher Events Center and VOX Cinemas in City Center Al Zahia and Mirdif
● 42 films shown for the first time in the Middle East and the Gulf, and two shows worldwide
Sharjah: The activities of the ninth session of the “Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth” celebrate 95 cinematic stories from 43 countries in the world, led by the United States, France, Saudi Arabia and South Korea, and narrated by a selection of filmmakers to address children and youth on the festival screens, including shows for the first time at the level The world, the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf.
The festival’s activities will host a group of senior artists, directors and producers, through a series of dialogue sessions and practical artistic activities that discuss the issues of the film industry for children and youth, and reveal to the participants the secrets of the film industry and the elements of its success, in addition to holding public meetings with the makers of 6 selected films on the “Green Carpet” platform. For the first time, the festival is being organized.
The announcement of the festival program came during a press conference held by the (Fun) Foundation at Fox Cinema City Center Al Zahia, yesterday (Monday), during which the details of the activities of the ninth session of the “Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth” were clarified, which is organized by the Foundation in the period between Next October 10-15, at the Jawaher Center for Events and Conferences, under the slogan “Think Cinema”.
The conference was attended by Sheikha Jawaher bint Abdullah Al Qasimi, Director of the (Fan) Foundation and the Festival, Ghada Abdel Qader, Senior Vice President of Crescent Enterprises, Director Hani Al Shaibani, member of the festival’s jury, and a number of journalists and representatives of media organizations.
An incubating environment for creativity
Sheikha Jawaher bint Abdullah confirmed that the successes of the Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth establish the position of Sharjah as an incubator for creativity and a patron of arts from all cultures, as the activities of the ninth session will be launched to reflect the visions and directions of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Council The Supreme Ruler of Sharjah, in building creative generations of children and youth, who enjoy unlimited care and attention from the wife of the Ruler of Sharjah, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Muhammad Al Qasimi, President of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs.
Sheikha Jawaher bint Abdullah explained that the festival’s shows are distributed to the emirates of Sharjah and Dubai, as they are shown at the Jawaher Center for Events and Conferences, and Vox Cinemas at City Center Al Zahia and Mirdif City Center.
95 films in 7 categories
Regarding the distribution of the participating films to the festival’s categories, Sheikha Jawaher indicated that the festival’s film screenings include 12 films in the “films made by children and adolescents,” and 16 films in the “student-made films” category.
And 8 films for the “Short Gulf Films” category, 8 films for the “international short films”, 28 films for the animation films category, in addition to 16 films in the “Feature Films” category, and finally 7 films for the “documentary films”, including two films shown for the first time. The world’s first, and 30 films shown for the first time in the Middle East, in addition to 11 premieres in the Arab Gulf region.
Dialogue sessions
Sheikha Jawaher bint Abdullah indicated that a number of dialogue sessions were held, which discussed issues of the film industry directed to children and youth, including the session “Why do we visit film festivals”, the session “Palestine: establishing links through cinema”, and the session “Who buys my film”, as well as About a number of activities that the “Fan” platform is witnessing, including the “Exploration Studio”, through which children and youth learn about the film industry by discussing a number of films, the “Experience Station” workshop, which deals with how to make the first film, and an interactive session entitled: Film Short of my thoughts.
Speakers and discussion sessions
The Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth will host a selection of Emirati and international artists and directors, most notably the artist Rasha Rizk, the artist Fadel Al Muhairi, the artist Dixie Igrix, and the director Waad Al Khatib, who will also be among 19 members of the jury, the most prominent of whom are: Actress Buthaina Al Raisi, and Director Hani Al-Shaibani, writer Heba Hamada, actor and director Nawaf Al-Janahi, and director Masoud Amrallah.
green carpet
Six films from the shows during the festival are hosted by their makers and participants on the “green carpet” platform, which is organized for the first time and allows the audience to meet and talk about their experiences in producing cinematic films that address children and young people. : The Secret Garden, Croissant Croissant, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, The Electrical Life of Louis Wayne, plus three others on display at the Jewel Convention and Events Center, including: Paper Flower, The Neighborhood Storyteller, and Farha’s Joy.
Supporting targeted initiatives
For her part, Ghada Abdel Qader, Senior Vice President, Crescent Enterprises, gave the festival sponsor’s speech, praising the leading role played by the arts and their positive impact in shaping society, stressing her pride in supporting meaningful artistic initiatives, of which the Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth is one of the most prominent.
Ghada stressed the festival’s role in enabling young people to practice arts and express their passion through this unlimited creative medium, as well as being a platform for discovering and highlighting local talent, and supporting the concept of entrepreneurship and various job opportunities within a creative field that contribute to achieving the desired goals of empowering future generations.
cinema capacity
In turn, director Hani Al-Shaibani, a member of the festival’s jury, said: “It is no secret how much cinema is able to communicate with our emotions and provide us with pleasure and entertainment. An integrated world, and its makers have given humanity an invaluable heritage and works that have been entrenched in people’s minds throughout the ages.
Al Shaibani added, “As a member of the jury for the “Gulf Short Films” category, I appreciate the efforts of the Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth in highlighting the cinematic energies of young people, as its events and awards have contributed to discovering their talents, and supported their passion for the image, through which they were able to produce Vibrant works, which won public acceptance and nominations for jury committees.
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About the Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth:
The first edition of the Sharjah International Film Festival for Children, the first of its kind in the country and the region, was launched in 2013. It is one of the initiatives of the (Fan) Foundation – concerned with promoting and supporting media art for children and young people in the UAE and sponsored by the wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, President of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs. The festival aims to support and enhance the talents of children in the world of the film industry and to devote the principles of artistic work aimed at instilling noble values in the hearts of the new generation.
In 2018, under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, the festival targets young people to change its name to the Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth, which reflects the keenness of the Emirate of Sharjah to involve the youth in the process of developing Arab cinema and advancing art. The seventh with an Arab footprint that reflects the values and aspirations of Arab youth.