The Sharjah International Children’s Film Festival (SICFF) has announced the shortlist for this year’s filmmaking competition.
A massive 425 films from 59 countries were submitted for review by the judges, a significant increase from the 286 films from 50 countries submitted last year.
From the submissions, a total of 121 films will be screened. The films, which are geared toward children aged up to 12 years and youth ages 13 to 18, will be screened indoors at JRCC and NOVO Cinemas and outdoors at Al Majaz Waterfront and Al Qasba from October 23-28.
Sheikha Jawaher bint Abdullah Al Qasimi, director of SICFF and parent company FUNN, commented: “I am truly stunned by the quality of young filmmakers around the world. This year, we have seen a remarkable increase in quality filmmaking and have noted a refinement in the themes covered by our young talents. SICFF is still growing but in 2016, we have seen the highest participation rate for our festival, a total of 425 submissions, as compared to the 286 submissions we received last year.”
She added: “All films hold a heartwarming message about family dynamics, environmental concerns, social justice issues and so on. Although we see movies with similar themes in cinemas, these festival films are remarkable as they are told through the eyes of a child. We are given a unique opportunity to relive worldly experiences through a simpler, uncomplicated lens.”
A yet-to-be-announced jury will judge each film based on sound morality, creativity, content, direction and core message for eight awards which include: Best Child Made Film, Best Student Film, Best Emirati film, Best Short Film from the Gulf, Best International Short Film, Best Animation Film, Best Documentary Film and Best Feature Film.
Screenings will be divided into nine categories: Films Made by Refugees, Short Films from the Arab World, Child Made Films, Films Made By FUNN Students, Student Films, International Short Films, Animation Films, Documentary Films and Feature Films.
The selected films come from 33 countries, including the UAE, India, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, USA and many other countries in Europe, Asia and the MENA region.
Through SICFF, FUNN hopes to honour creative talents around the globe and create a platform for young filmmakers to be recognised for their hard work.
• For more visit www.sicff.ae/festival-2016
cnewbould@thenational.ae
