Sharjah film festival doubles project support for young filmmakers

By Grace Kim

The Sharjah Intl. Film Festival for Children and Youth will double its Film Pitching Session from three projects to six when its 13th edition runs Oct. 26-31. Launched in 2025, the session sits within a broader industry push to move young filmmakers beyond development and toward production, funding and audiences.

SIFF director Sheikha Jawaher bint Abdullah Al Qasimi told Variety that “Learning how to make a film is one thing, but getting that film produced and seen by an audience is a completely different challenge.” Many talented young filmmakers struggle, she said, when they cannot reach producers, funders or industry contacts.

What does the expanded pitch session change?

The answer is practical access, rather than another prize. The Film Pitching Session (presentations of projects to potential funders and industry partners) accepts filmmakers and producers aged 18 and above, of any nationality. Projects must be aimed at children or young audiences and can range from an early concept through post-production (the stage after filming).

SIFF selected six projects for the session, twice the three chosen at its inaugural edition in 2025. The festival’s Industry Hub gives up-and-coming filmmakers meetings with professionals, project discussions and advice on bringing projects to the screen.

The session is not a competition and offers no cash prize; it instead seeks relationships that may lead to financing, production support or future collaborations. Al Qasimi says one meeting with the right person can make a real difference to a young filmmaker’s career.

SIFF reports receiving 1,802 submissions from 72 countries for the 13th edition. The festival selected 71 films from 38 countries for its official program. Brunei, Burkina Faso and Mauritania appear for the first time, while a new out-of-competition section (films presented outside the awards competition) adds eight titles.

SIFF’s long-standing mandate centers on exposing children and young people to films, cultures and diverse perspectives from around the world. Al Qasimi wants the festival to offer opportunities to learn and participate, then help young people enter the industry themselves.

Her longer-term aim is a direct progression: a child discovers cinema at SIFF and returns years later as a filmmaker with a story of their own. She wants the festival to remain part of that journey, from a first cinema experience to a first professional opportunity.

“I don’t think there is a shortage of talent or interesting stories in the Arab world,” Al Qasimi says. “The challenge is often what happens after they develop those ideas.” Filmmakers may know how to make a film without knowing how to approach a producer, secure financing, navigate the festival circuit or find distribution (the process of getting films to audiences).

Financing is a clear challenge, she adds, but access to the right people and professional guidance matters just as much. Without understanding the business side of cinema, even a strong script may stall.

A new Festival Ambassadors Program keeps former Junior Jurors involved after their service on the panel. Junior Jurors, aged 12 to 20, evaluate films in the Child and Youth-Made Film Competition. Under the new program, ambassadors connect with younger participants and contribute ideas to future programs, according to SIFF.

Al Qasimi says she does not want the relationship with young participants to end when jury service finishes. She hopes some former jurors will return as filmmakers, mentors or industry professionals.

The festival also sits within an expanding Sharjah film and media sector, including growing production infrastructure at Sharjah Media City, or Shams. Al Qasimi sees considerable potential for festivals, production facilities, educational institutions and creative organisations in Sharjah to collaborate. She says their different roles share one aim: developing creative talent and strengthening the local industry.

Italy is the Country of Honor, with an Oct. 30 Green Carpet screening of Fabrizio Cattani’s “Forever With You.” Al Qasimi hopes the focus will build links between emerging Italian and Emirati filmmakers through storytelling, creative approaches and production experience.

She wants international filmmakers to actively seek out SIFF. The festival should serve both as a place to screen their work and as a route to discover new voices from the UAE and the wider Arab region.

Representation also shapes the program. Al Qasimi wants a child in Sharjah watching a film from South Korea, Italy or France to discover something new about the world. She also wants that child to see an Arabic film and recognize a familiar language, family experience or cultural tradition.

Beyond screenings, this year’s edition includes workshops on animation, filmmaking, content creation and the use of artificial intelligence in pre-production (planning before filming). A new Mobile Cinema Bus will take short-film screenings into neighborhoods across Sharjah.

For young filmmakers, the practical change is access to industry relationships, not just film exposure. SIFF’s next test is whether former junior jurors return as filmmakers, mentors or professionals, and whether its six pitched projects turn meetings into financing, production or collaboration.