This evening, Sharjah will celebrate the opening of the 4th edition of the Sharjah International Children’s Film Festival (SICFF), which will be held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs. The six-day children’s film extravaganza will screen a variety of movies that reveal the magic of the motion picture world, express the realities of communities and convey the vision of young directors.
The opening ceremony, which will take place this evening at Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre, will be attended by Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Media Corporation, HE Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs and Chairwoman of the Media Zone Authority-Abu Dhabi and twofour54. Several celebrities will be in attendance including internationally-acclaimed singer and songwriter Sami Yusuf, the Egyptian comedy actor Mohamed Henedi as well as a multitude of filmmakers, members of the jury and fans who will walk the green carpet of the festival.
The audiences of the film festival, which will run to October 28th, have the opportunity to view 121 films from 33 different countries competing for awards in eight categories. The participating films will be assessed by a jury composed of Emirati director Abdullah Hassan Ahmed, director Shahin Yazdani, the internationally-renowned actor, director and producer, Will Smith and newcomer, Firdoze Bulbulia. Films will be screened in the morning and evening at several different venues in the Emirate of Sharjah, as per a schedule prepared by festival management. Audiences will have a unique opportunity to enjoy the finest films for children and teenagers from around the world.
The festival boasts a rich line-up of films that caters to the diverse audience. It includes short films, feature films, animations, documentaries and silent films that are in tune with the intellectual approach of the festival and are respectful of local culture. The films convey meaningful messages and seek to introduce children to the inspirational magic of the seventh art.
The festival films are divided into three age groups – children aged up to seven year olds, eight to thirteen and fourteen to eighteen. There will be a screening of 11 films made by refugee children and films made by FUNN participants, in which they portray the realities of their daily lives. Furthermore, the film that was created through the collaborative Exchange Program between the students of FUNN and Noon Arts Centre in Saudi Arabia will be screened during the Festival. In this film, students express their opinions about documentary films and ideas that they would like to film and produce.