A new cinema club for children opens this weekend - and parents are not allowed.
The Swiss organisation, Magic Lantern, has set up a branch in Sharjah in partnership with the Emirates Foundation and Swiss Art Gate UAE.
Magic Lantern is open to children aged six to 11 and films are selected to appeal to young viewers and inform them about the history and art of making movies. The first showing at Al Qasba on November 20 will be comedies by Laurel and Hardy.
Kurt Blum, the general manager of Swiss Art Gate UAE, said: "I came up with this idea to set up Magic Lantern throughout the Emirates over the next three to four years."
Swiss Art Gate is a non-profit group that aims to promote cultural ties between Switzerland and the UAE.
Magic Lantern will open first in Sharjah, but will soon spread to Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, with plans to open in Dubai and the Northern Emirates from 2011. More than 40,000 children are members throughout Europe alone.
Six films are planned for the initial series at Al Qasba including Chicken Run and the South Korean film Jiburo.
Parents can sign their children up online at www.magiclantern.ae, or call 06 556 0777. Membership is Dh100 for one year.
