Sharjah Children's Film Festival opens

Sharjah unveiled its international children’s film fest this week.

His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Member of UAE Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, together with his wife Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs and Patron of Sharjah International Children’s Film Festival (SICFF), formally inaugurated the film fest.

Speaking at the event, Sheikh Sultan said, “The festival is the first step towards producing great films. I hope this festival will be the beginning of future works. I wish all our children the best of luck.”

Sheikha Jawaher emphasised on how much adults can learn from children.

“Within the same minute a child can go from crying to laughing, from anger to forgiveness. We see them as weak and fragile, but there’s nothing on earth more powerful than a child —because since they have not yet learned what is impossible, to them everything is possible

“Through this festival, we can learn a lot from them; not only about children, but also about ourselves, because these films are a mirror that enables us to see our society, other societies and cultures from thought provoking new angles.”

The festival will showcase 78 films from 32 countries.

The films target three age groups - under 7, between 8 and 13, and between 14 and 18.

The films will be shown to school children in the morning at JRCC for public schools and Grand Cinemas at Sahara Centre for private school kids.

The venue will be open to public in the afternoon.

Al Qasba venue will feature weekend shows.

“SICFF is about entertainment, enrichment and education. It is designed to be a celebration of cultures around the world,” said SICFF director Jawaher Abdulla Al Qassimi.

Dr Naif Al Mutawa, founder and CEO of Tashkeel Media Group, and creator of The 99, the first group of comic superheroes born of an Islamic archetype, was tremendously enthused. “Anyone who has ever heard children making up a tall tale knows that they are natural storytellers. Their vivid imaginations can turn the most mundane everyday scenes into an epic fantasy.”

The creator of Freej, the  Emirati cartoon series, Mohammed Saeed Harib added, “Sharjah can stand proud and tall in the worldwide cinema industry, for hosting a ground-breaking festival, one of the first in the region. This is a sign of even greater things to come for the emirate.”