Sharjah’s First Ever Film Festival Is Launching This Week
Here’s everything you need to know
The Sharjah Art Foundation has launched its first ever film festival titled the Sharjah Film Platform (SFP), which is kicking off from 19 – 26 January. The event is set to become an annual happening, which aims to support film production across the UAE and the Middle East.
For its debut, SFP will screen over 140 films by local, regional and international filmmakers at venues across the emirate, including Mirage City Cinema, Al Mureijah Square, Al Hamriyah Studios, Al Hamriyah, Africa Hall, Al Manakh, and Al Hamra Cinema and Al Rolla.
Selected through an open call, The Sharjah Art Foundation will also offer an annual production grant of up to $30,000 (Dh110,173) for two short films by emerging filmmakers. This year, Abdulrahman Al Madani and Mohammed Al Hammadi, whose films Laymoon and Maryam, respectively, will be premiered at the festival, took home the prize.
Sharjah opened their only outdoor cinema, designed by filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul and architect Ole Scheeren, for the Sharjah Biennial 11 back in March 2018.
Aside from movie screenings, the event will be accompanied by a programme of inspirational talks and workshops. General admission for each movie screening is Dhs15.