Children's film festival in Sharjah gets bigger, better

Sharjah - The festival will begin on October 18 and will continue for six days before it moves to the emirate's seven cities.

FUNN, the Sharjah-based foundation dedicated to promoting media arts for and among children and youth in the UAE, revealed that the 3rd Sharjah International Children's Film Festival (SICFF) will see a qualitative leap in terms of the size and quality of the films and parallel events, to enrich the local film scene, marking a new beginning for the child movie industry in the Middle East. 
Addressing press conference held in Sharjah yesterday, Shaikha Jawaher bint Abdullah Al Qasimi, Director of FUNN and Director of SICFF said: "The 2015 SICFF will see a number of unique additions and developments in terms of the topics and quality of participating films, expanding the geographical range of film screenings, as well as the introduction of new events and training programmes and workshops held alongside this year's edition to enrich the local cinema scene and provide it with young creative talents". 
She added: "Every year, we are eager to introduce new initiatives and events, in form and content, to make each edition of the festival bigger and better, in keeping with our commitment to continuously working hard to nurture young talent and encourage professional moviemakers in the child film industry across the UAE and the region to produce high quality films that serve children's issues and interests, breathing new life into the region's movie scene while developing SICFF to become one of the world's top children's movie events." 
Shaikha Jawaher said the 2015 festival will witness the participation of 175 films from 20 different countries, indicating a remarkable growth in the number of participating films compared to 112 films shown during last year.
She pointed out that most films focus on issues and topics on children's interest while introducing the audience of cinema to how people see things and events happening around them, including the turbulent conditions in war-torn countries and place of refuge. 
With regards to film screenings, Shaikha Jawaher said that the film screenings will be held in the morning and evening at two main venues in Sharjah, namely Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre, and Novo Cinemas at Sahara Centre. The festival will see for the first time the outdoor film screenings at the Sharjah Art Foundation. On film screenings outside Sharjah, the SICFF Management decided to broaden the geographic scope of film viewings, which will be held for the first time in seven cities, compared to five venues last year, namely Al Dhaid, Khorfakkan, Dibba Al Hisn, Kalba, Al Madam, Al Hamriyah and Al Batayeh.  
The film festival will begin on October 18 and will continue for six days before it moves to the emirate's seven cities where film screenings will be held in Khorfakkan on October 28th and 29th, then in Dibba Al Hisn on November 4th and 5th, Kalba on November 9t, Al Madam (November 12th), Al Dhaid (November 15th and 16th), Al Hamriyah (November 18th and 19th), and finally in Al Batayeh on November 22nd and 23rd, pulling the curtains down on the third edition of SICFF.  
The festival, the brainchild of FUNN and the first of its kind in the UAE and the region, aims to improve children's and youngsters' understanding of the movie industry and promote their awareness of the techniques that take place behind the silver screen, while unlocking and nurturing their creativity, paving the way for the creation of a new generation of creative filmmaker.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com