The UAE’s cinema lovers, especially the younger lot, can expect to swim in a sea of book adaptations set to hit the screens at Sharjah International Film Festival for Children & Youth (SIFF) this October. What makes the festival’s selection even better is that young adults can moon over them too.

Filmmakers have always been attracted to popular books, which have already created an audience through its readership. On the occasion that the content of books have been treated masterfully, these films have created magic on screen. It is this magic that will be evident at SIFF 2019, which will celebrate Sharjah’s World Book Capital 2019 title by screening a series of films based on acclaimed books under its theme, ‘Films Inspired by Books’. Their aim is to highlight the relationship between cinema and literature to its youngest patrons in the nation.

Here, we offer a quick glance at two films that will celebrate the age old influence of literature on creative arts:

The Traveling Cat Chronicles

Inspired by The San Francisco Chronicle, a book that speaks volumes about our need for connection – human, feline or otherwise, ‘The Travelling Cat Chronicles’ is a film about young Satoru’s mission to find his cat, Nana, a new home. The search turns into a journey that explores Satoru’s past, his old friendships, and the tragedy that shaped his childhood. As the journey winds down, Nana is still without a home. Until suddenly his aunt Noriko agrees to take in Nana and sacrifices her career to make it possible.

What was the reason behind Noriko’s decision and why Satoru must give up Nana? Join other SIFF goers and find out!

The film gains from Japanese filmmaker Koichiro Miki’s sophisticated technique and striking imagery. Miki is famed for his work on ‘Goose Bumps’, ‘The Stare’ ‘Evergreen Love’, ‘Anonymous Noise’ and ‘Revenge Girl’.

Perfectly Naughty Kids

Based on a tale by Ksenia Dragunskaya titled Medication for Obedience, ‘Perfectly Naughty Kids’ is a short animation takes viewers into the strangest kids’ sanitorium, where Dr. Pyatkin is dealing with children who are just too well behaved. And believe it or not, his job is to make them naughty. How he does it, and whether or not he’s successful, is for the viewers to find out.

Behind the movie is award-wining Russian filmmaker, Tatiana Kiseleva, who has been working as an animator in different animation studios since 1998. She participated in the creation of more than 20 animated films, including feature-length ‘The New Bremens’, ‘Prince Vladimir’, ‘Ku! Kin-Dza-Dza’ and ‘Peter and Fevronia.