Sharjah Film Festival for Children and Youth Unveils 13th Edition Lineup

The Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth will screen 71 films from 38 countries at its 13th edition, running Oct. 26–31 in the UAE. The program, selected from 1,802 submissions spanning 72 countries, includes eight films screening out of competition, with the opening on Oct. 25 and the closing ceremony on Nov. 1.

The headline name in the Green Carpet program is Baz Poonpiriya, co-director of the Thai drama "Gohan" alongside Chayanop Bunprakob and Atta Hemwadee. Poonpiriya previously directed the Thai box-office hit "Bad Genius" and the Sundance prize winner "One for the Road." "Gohan" tracks a stray dog passing through the lives of three owners over more than a decade, and it receives its Middle East premiere at the festival.

Two more Green Carpet titles share that premiere status:

• "Forever With You" — Fabrizio Cattani's Italian feature about two friends whose search for a missing dog leads them into the woods and into unexpected danger.
• "Monster Mia" — Verena Fels' Austrian-German animated film following a 12-year-old girl who lands at a school full of monsters.

What else is on the slate?

Juan Cabral's Argentine feature "Risa and the Wind Phone" receives its Gulf premiere. Cabral's previous film, "Two/One," premiered at Tribeca and was released by Mubi in select international territories. Indian filmmaker Ravi Nimbalkar's "87 Rupees Ink Pen" also gets its Middle East premiere.

The animation selection carries weight too. Brazilian director Celia Catunda's "My Grandfather Is a Nihonjin" arrives after premiering at Annecy in 2025, as does the Czech-French-Slovak-Slovenian stop-motion feature "Tales From the Magic Garden," made by David Súkup, Patrik Pašš, Leon Vidmar and Jean-Claude Rozec.

Emirati work sits in the shorts competition. Abdulrahman Al Madani's "Oug" follows an Emirati couple facing family and social pressure to have children. The film won the Gulf Capital-ADMAF Visual Arts Award in 2025 and has screened at Denmark's Odense International Film Festival. Children and teenagers get their own platform through the Child & Youth Made Films section and student competitions, spanning live-action and animation.

Where and how can audiences watch?

Morning screenings at VOX Cinemas City Centre Al Zahia are reserved for school-aged and university students. Evening screenings are open to the public. The Industry Hub and pitching sessions run alongside the public program, giving emerging filmmakers a route to present projects and meet industry professionals.

Workshops target hands-on skills: stop-motion and flipbook animation, cinematography, production management and content creation. Italy, this year's country of honor, anchors two of them — "The Italian Eye – Photography Through Light, Color & Composition" and "Tell a Story in Five Shots – Inspired by Italian Cinema."

What does the festival offer filmmakers trying to break in?

The panel program moves past craft into the mechanics of the industry. "Film Festivals Decoded: What Happens After You Press Submit?" brings together festival programmers and directors to explain selection, submissions and program-building. Saudi Cinema Association CEO Hani Al Mulla moderates, with Rotterdam Arab Film Festival artistic director Rosh Abdelfattah, American International University Kuwait executive director Alia Al Azzeh and Alexandria Short Film Festival head Mohamed Mahmoud on the panel.

A second panel, "How Do I Get My Next Film Made? From Idea to Financing," covers pitching materials, development labs, producers, financing and co-production opportunities. For a festival aimed at children and youth, that practical track signals the real stakes: SIFF isn't only screening films for young audiences, it's building the pipeline of filmmakers who will make them.