The cast and crew of the Saudi-made independent teen comedy “Shams Al-Ma’arif” (The Book of Sun), which has amused and entertained Arab and international Netflixers alike, will come together on Saturday, November 28, on a virtual panel discussion organised by Sharjah Int’l Film Festival For Children & Youth (SIFF), a project of FUNN, a Sharjah-based organisation dedicated to promoting and supporting media arts learning among children and youth.

Four cast members, SohaybGodus, BaraaAlem, Ismail Alhassan, and Ahmed Alsaddam, will share the unique journey they undertook to bring the film, which is being described by critics and viewers of Arab cinema as the Kingdom’s first coming-of-age production,  to fruition, and offer their thoughts on how they see the cinematic landscape of Arab cinema, especially in the GCC, transforming against the rapid changes taking place world over.

The online panel will be livestreamed on ZOOM platform, and aims to showcase the pioneering efforts of young filmmakers in the Arab region, while furthering SIFF’s mission to promote appreciation for film among young audiences.

Attendees can expect in-depth and unique insights into the vision behind the unconventional Saudi comedy film,which is available for streaming on Netflix, and tells the story of a high school senior who sets out to make a low-budget horror film with his friend, one-time rival and teacher, assisting him. The two-hour film also charts the evolution of Saudi cinema from the nineties to-date, while narrating stories of Saudi youth whose lives changed due to advent of the internet.

For further information and to register for the panel discussion, log on to: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iHT1HTV9SyqL6duz-JDdvQ

SIFF, organised by FUNN – Sharjah Media Arts for Youth and Children – is the region’s only festival designed to bring international films and new media content exclusively to children and youth. The festival seeks to inspire young talents to pursue filmmaking by learning from the industry’s most creative and inspirational filmmakers who come to the event.