Cinema buffs in the UAE, especially younger enthusiasts, are in for a true cinematic treat this year at Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth (SIFF) as they will get access to 105-film premiers in SIFF’s seventh edition, which unveils on October 13, 2019.

Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth (SIFF) will be screening 12 films that make their world premieres, and 11 more that haven’t been shown on the UAE screens before. SIFF 2019 is also bringing an exhaustive list of 75 films, which made the Middle East premiers cut as well as 7 GCC premiers.

Festival organisers, FUNN Establishment – Sharjah Media Arts for Youth and Children – announced earlier that SIFF 2019 will be showing 132 films in total during the six-day festival at the event’s venue, Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre (JRCC) in Sharjah, and across popular cinemas in the UAE.

Since its launch in 2011, SIFF has been staying true to one of its central objectives of propelling young emerging filmmakers onto the regional and international scenes through its platform. This year too, films screened across the four premier categories will include a bulk of child- and student-made films. Here’s a sneak peek into the quality and diversity of films one should expect to see at SIFF 2019.

‘Paw Prints’ and 11 more films will make a world premiere at SIFF

Nebula Karkada, a young filmmaker based in Sharjah, was concerned about the condition of stray animals and decided to harness her media and communications background to highlight this cause. Her debut film ‘Paw Prints’ is a documentary that aims to raise awareness about mistreatment of stray animals, with a focus on the role of young generations in defending these harmless creatures.

Four more homegrown films ‘Tayyar Al Haya’, ‘Karma’, ‘Go On’, ‘A Silent Memory’; ‘Spellbound’ and ‘Apples and Oranges’ from India; ‘Florigami’ from Croatia/Serbia; ‘Swimming to The Moon’ from the Netherlands; ‘This Side, Other Side’ and ‘Asho’ from Iran; and finally, ‘Dance is My Gun’ from Lebanon/USA make up the 12 films in this category

SIFF Middle East Premiere will unveil ‘Aesthesis’ and 74 other films

Six young filmmakers, who graduated from Pôle IIID School in France, collaborated and co-directed the short film ‘Aesthesis’, which will be one of the Middle East film premieres at SIFF 2019. The short animation explains what it is like to live with disabilities, and a unique element can be seen in how expertly the team has incorporated core elements of direction in the film.

Don’t See, Don’t Hear, Don’t Speak – GCC Premiere

This GCC premiere film depicts a young man entering an alternate digital reality, offering the audience a peek at what his life becomes as the glare of the screen obscures everything in his life. The animated film was directed by Mostafa Gad, a young Egyptian filmmaker who graduated from the HCI – Animation Department in 1993, and was part of the graduation project. Gad’s professionalism and creativity enabled him to manage all technical aspects of the film.

‘Mara’s Memories’ and 10 more films will make their first UAE public showcase

‘Mara’s Memories’ explains how memories can affect people, through bare glimpses of a troubled girl’s past and her dark thoughts, raising many significant questions like will she ultimately defeat her memories to survive? Will she be able to break free, or will her past haunt her forever? The film is directed by Saudi artist and filmmaker, Wid Alhajjaji, who is interested in making artistic content that showcases her storytelling skills. She uses 3D animation techniques to simplify a complex topic.