Sharjah Film Festival Doubles Its Pitching Slate to Six Arab Shorts

By Tom Whitfield

The Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth has doubled its pitching platform to six projects for its 13th edition, up from three at the program's inauguration. All six are short films by emerging Arab directors, and all six are in Sharjah for the same reason: money.

Festival director Sheikha Jawaher bint Abdullah Al Qasimi told Variety ahead of this year's edition that learning how to make a film is only part of the equation — "getting that film produced and seen is a completely different challenge." The expansion, she indicated, is SIFF's effort to build a pathway beyond training and exhibition.

The promise is a financing route. The caveat: most of these projects arrived unfunded, and the platform's track record so far amounts to one prior edition with three participants. What does this change for the filmmakers? Access to partners — nothing is guaranteed beyond the meetings.

Who is pitching, and what do they need?

• "The Black Hole" — Palestinian-American director Mike Mo Elsherif, produced by JohnBen Lacy, follows a Gazan refugee in the U.S. who develops a mysterious illness while searching for answers about his family in Gaza. Elsherif calls it a "visceral exploration of the complex ways in which our bodies store and process trauma throughout our lives." The film is part of a trilogy: "Maqluba" screens in SIFF's Arabic short films competition after Woodstock, BlackStar and El Gouna, while "Goodbye Habibi," in post-production, was financed by FilmLab Palestine, the Islamic Scholarship Fund, the Doha Film Institute and the Kentucky Arts Council. Partially privately financed, the new project seeks further funding before a winter 2027 shoot in Louisville, Kentucky.
• "Kot Kot Kot" — UAE director Boubaker Boukhari's film about a girl raising a chick after her mother's death is already in production and self-financed. It needs funding for post-production: music, sound design, effects and recording. Tunisian co-producer Alaeddin Abou Taleb of Key Production Films has signed on; illustrator Nadia Zilanova, who has worked for the New York Times, joined to create the backgrounds. Completion is planned by the end of 2026.
• "The Last Call" — Saleh Mohammed's UAE-set film about a phone call tied to a forgotten memory has a complete screenplay and is location scouting. Mohammed, who began in theater and co-stars in the festival's opening film, Khalid Al Mahmood's "The Mangrove House," seeks financing, sponsors and co-producers. "In a world where communication is constant, genuine connection can sometimes be the thing we overlook most," he says.
• "Lucky Shot" — Omani director Salah Al Hadhrami and screenwriter Dalila Al-Dar'iya present a 12-15 minute story of Amjad, a working-class boy torn between football dreams and temptation. The project is in development with no production financing secured; a tentative 2027 shoot depends on backers. "I believe that simple stories can carry the profoundest human messages," Al Hadhrami says.
• "My Uncle Saman" — Emirati writer-director Aljouri Abdelaziz Alzarooni, with creative producer Shahad Al Ali, pitches a comedy about three young men risking their uncle's wedding. The short has no financing or production company attached, though Alzarooni says the pitch has already drawn interest and discussions are underway.
• "Tomato Merchant" — Thoraya Farzaneh's directing debut, produced by Sayed Mousavi, follows an elderly tomato seller who refuses to go home until his stock is sold. This is the slate's best-funded entry: the RAK Art Fund, backed by the Al Qasimi Foundation, has committed money, and FANN – Media Discovery Platform, the festival's parent organization, will support post-production. Shooting starts in the UAE in early November, with completion targeted for January.

What are the realistic prospects?

The spread is wide. One project shoots within weeks, another hopes to shoot in 2027 only if funding appears. Producer Mousavi's claim — "This film reminds us that kindness often begins with the simple choice to be patient" — doubles as a fair summary of the financing conditions facing the other five.

Whether Sharjah's platform converts pitches into produced films at scale will become clear at the next editions; this year, the filmmakers at least leave with contacts, and in two cases, actual money.