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Feature films depicting the lives and struggles of young boys and girls caught in civil wars and unimaginable crisis, being torn away from their homes and families and in search of security as refugees in unknown lands have been among the 130-plus films screened at the of the sixth edition of Sharjah International Children’s Film Festival (SICFF 2018), organised by FUNN Establishment – Sharjah Media Arts for Youth and Children.

Among these films, the 83-minute “Musafir/The Guest: Aleppo-Istanbul” written and directed by Turkish Andac Haznedaroglu and produced by Jordanian actor Saba Mubarak, who also stars in the film, follows the journey of 8-year-old Lena and her baby sister who have lost their family to the Syrian war and are forced to escape to Turkey along with their young neighbour and friend, Meryem, other Syrian refugees.

The touching drama tackles the problems faced by Syrian refugees in Turkey and their predicament about whether they should return home or find a life in a new country. This dilemma is depicted by the movie’s two young protagonists, Lena who is homesick and wants to return back to her home, while Meryem finds herself being occupied by newfound aspirations to continue her journey to Europe.

While showing Meryem and Lena overcoming the hurdles of a big city in a foreign country and becoming heroines of their story, the film enables people to have a better understanding of Syrian refugees’ feelings and the harsh reality they face every day.

With the exception of Saba Mubarak, the film crew has taken on real Syrian refugees who have acted for first time in their lives. The movie has won the Audience Award at the 54th International Antalya Film Festival and has been screened at several international film festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival.

About the Director

Born in Ankara, Turkey, Andaç Haznederoğlu has graduated from the Acting Program of the Performing Arts and Theatre Department at Anadolu University State Conservatory. She has also attended the GITIS Acting Stage Management Workshop in Moscow. Her master’s degree is in Dramaturgy from Anadolu University. During her television and cinema career, she has directed many TV series for Turkish television. Haznederoğlu’s made her feature film debut with the romantic-comedy “Everything for Love” (2016). In 2004, Haznederoğlu founded her own production company, Andac Film Productions. She is also a lecturer on Directing for Talent at Istanbul Bilgi University and Yeditepe University.

Other feature films with deeply human messages that were screened during SICFF – the region’s first-of-its-kind event to encourage a love of cinema and other cultures among children and young adults – are the 2017 feature film production “21 Days Later” an inspiring story about a determined teen who oscillates between his dream of making a film and his mother’s fight with cancer, by Iranian director Mohamadreza Kheradmandan, which made its world debut at the SICFF 2018 platform.

Making its UAE premier was “Chuskit”, an endearing 90-minute drama by reputed Indian director, Priya Ramasubban who has made several films for National Geographic, Dicovery Channel and other production houses. Chuskit is a -9year-old girl from a small mountain village in northern India and dreams of going to school one day but ends up paralysing her legs due to an accident. Another paralysing force in her life is her grandfather, who wouldn’t allow her to go to school.

“Glasses” by Reza Aghaie, and “My Giraffe”, a Dutch language film by Director, Barbara Bredero, made its ME premier at SICFF 2018 – story that shines the light on the theme of friendship and the fact that the relationship does not differentiate between cultures, ethnicities and even humans and animals. This touching story weaves around four-year-old Patterson and his friend Raff, a playful giraffe.