Sharjah Film Festival Signs Federal Media Authority as Partner

By Grace Kim

The Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth has signed a memorandum of understanding with the UAE's National Media Authority on the opening day of its 13th edition, making the federal regulator an official supporting partner of the festival.

The agreement, signed Monday, links the authority with FANN – Media Discovery Platform, the Sharjah organization that runs the festival. Its name comes from the Arabic word for "art." The deal covers film screening procedures, training and technical support, and it signals that SIFF now wants to solve the practical hurdles young filmmakers face after they learn the craft.

What does the partnership actually do?

SIFF director Sheikha Jawaher bint Abdullah Al Qasimi told Variety ahead of the festival that learning to make a film is only one part of a filmmaker's journey. The new agreement addresses the infrastructure around that journey. Under its terms:

• The National Media Authority will help facilitate permits required to screen participating films, coordinating where necessary with embassies, consulates, cultural organizations and government entities.
• Festival teams will receive training on the authority's electronic services and technical support meant to streamline regulatory procedures.
• Authority representatives may participate in festival juries and film evaluations.
• The two organizations will collaborate on SIFF's media and communications activities.

"Our agreement with the National Media Authority reflects this commitment," Al Qasimi said Monday. "It is an important step in bringing together national efforts to support the film industry and help emerging filmmakers turn their ideas and perspectives into creative work."

A new federal player in UAE media

The partnership lands mid-restructuring for the country's media sector. The National Media Authority was established by federal decree in December 2025 and absorbed functions previously held by the UAE Media Council, the National Media Office and the Emirates News Agency. Media regulation and development now sit under a single federal body whose mandate covers media policy and legislation, licensing and content standards.

The authority's leadership framed the SIFF deal in strategic terms. "Supporting content created for children and youth is an important part of our strategy to develop a competitive and sustainable national media sector," secretary-general Mohammed Saeed Al Shehhi said Monday.

From introductions to financing

For FANN, the agreement adds a federal institution to an ecosystem that Al Qasimi has argued must extend beyond the festival itself. SIFF's expanding Industry Hub and its pitching program (a format where filmmakers present projects directly to decision-makers) are built to connect young filmmakers with producers, supporters and funders.

The goal is concrete: turn introductions into financing, production support and longer-term collaborations. A federal partner that can ease permits and regulatory friction fits that mechanism. It lowers the administrative cost of getting films made and shown, which matters most to newcomers without institutional backing.

SIFF runs through Nov. 1 with 71 films from 38 countries in its selection. The real test of the partnership will come in the months after the festival closes — whether smoother permits and federal cooperation translate into finished films from the young filmmakers the program is designed to serve.