When the 12th edition of the Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth deploys his green carpet on October 6, he will not continue the power of the stars or the fasts of celebrities. Instead, under the direction of Sheikha Jawaher Bint Abdullah Al Qasimi, the festival has built a reputation as a platform with “a heart and a goal”, motivated by education, cultural exchange and the commitment to amplify young voices.
Launched in 2012 at the request of his Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of the Sovereign of Sharjah, the festival began as the first event in the Gulf dedicated exclusively to children’s cinema. The director remembers: “People did not know so much that there were different types of children’s films. There are documentaries, there are shorts, different types of animation. ”
She underlines that the vision was still distinct from other regional windows. “Her Highness was considering a festival with a different goal,” she explains. “It is rooted in education, culture and inspiration for children and young people.”
From a starting point for projections mainly in its first year, the festival has regularly become a multi-income event with signs, workshops and thousands of submissions. “Now we have around 100 guests, filmmakers, directors and celebrities who share knowledge,” says Sheikha Jawaher. “We have group discussions, we get thousands of children from schools throughout water to attend, watch movies and discuss them.” Since 2013, the creation of the festival, the event has welcomed a total of 236,254 guests.
This year’s edition will present 76 films from 26 countries, selected from more than 1,700 bids, including the first participation of São Tomé and Príncipe, Ecuador and Belize. Three first three of the Middle East are planned for the green carpet, notably “Hajer” of the Saudi filmmaker Sarah Talab, the Dutch animation “Miss Moxy”, and a South Korean drama of Suryeon Jung telling the story of a 10-year-old girl isolated from the world. On the sidelines, a pop-up program will feature workshops ranging from the emiratic comics to a photography and documentation tour, while panels and opening sessions will immerse the cinema in the formation of young people culture. In addition, guests can attend a cinema market offering young storytellers a platform to present projects, find employees and explore production routes
Rooted in the cultural vision of Sharjah
The festival reflects the broader cultural strategy of the emirate. “Sharjah has always prioritized culture, knowledge, family and human development,” says Sheikha Jawaher. “We therefore wanted to be a platform where cinema inspires learning, dialogue, empowerment and inspiration.”
This mission gave Style a distinctive identity in a crowded regional calendar. “We are not here to reproduce what you see in Marrakech or Cairo,” she notes. “We are here to feed young voices. This is what makes us different. ”
Raise the prospects of young people
At the heart of the programming are films for both young people and, more and more, by them. “The films that we project are for children and young people, as well as by children,” explains Sheikha Jawaher, while noting that the percentage of programming that comes directly from children’s filmmakers is always modest, but constantly increasing. As it stands, they represent around 20% of the festival programming.
To encourage more authentic work, the festival offers feedback sessions for young candidates whose films are not accepted. “We must be very transparent and very real in this industry,” she underlines. “So when we reject certain films, we explain what they can do to improve quality. We want to encourage them to submit again. ”
Curation premiums originality and experimentation. “We are looking above all, of course, for authenticity,” she says. “We are also looking for a daring experiment, projects that increase the bar higher and postpone the limits.”
Expand global connections
The whistling has regularly widened its international footprint, increasing the number of submissions and their countries of origin year after year. This expansion has encouraged Sheikha Jawaher to set a new goal: to bring in countries that have never participated in the whistle. “We want to hear stories from all the countries of the world,” she said.
In its edition in 2024, the festival inaugurated the country of honor, Palestine holding this distinction and the programming featuring a series of Palestinian films. She noted that the media sometimes wondered if such a choice was too polarizing. “I remember being questioned in interviews:” Isn’t that too political? ” You talk about refugees. You talk about wars, “she said.” I said, “We are not political. We are talking about stories. Our children can no longer live in bubbles. They need to know. They need to have a voice to be able to make a difference. »»
This year, South Korea will be recognized as the country of honor, with a bit exploring the history and philosophy of Korean cinema and its world scope.
The 2025 Festival will also have the Congress of Children and Young Films Congress, a new forum designed to bring together filmmakers, industry professionals and educators to exchange experiences, take up challenges and explore ways to better support cinema focused on young people.
The Jury of Siff will also featured 16 international directors and experts, including the Syrian actress Yara Sabri, known for her work in the famous dramatic series, and the director of the South Korean animation Jae Hoon, better known for “Green Days”.
Challenges and growth
The awareness and promotion of media literacy was at the heart of the sigen mission, but of its growth. However, directing a festival focused on young people was not without obstacles. “At first, people thought,” Why are you watching films that are not English or Arab? ” “, Remember Sheikha Jawaher. “With time and the boom of Korean titles, for example, more people are open to watching a film that is not in their language, but which always has the same feelings. The film will always make you cry, that you understand what is said, whether it is silent.”
Parents also resisted films that showed uncomfortable truths. She quotes a case where a mother opposed the content of a film: “She was released saying:” Oh my god, the film! The film of the film ate a pebble, and now my son will eat a pebble. What do we teach our children? “And I smiled and I said:” But it’s reality.
In the end, the Festival’s steward affirms, such moments emphasize why the educational role of the festival is important. “We cannot ban everything,” she insists. “Children must understand the consequences, see reality, but always framed in dialogue and discussion.”
Ahead
As for the next decade, Sheikha Jawaher has an ambitious vision. By 2030, she hopes that whistle will be “a leading platform in the region for young voices where each budding filmmaker in the Arab world knows that they can share their work, gain mentoring and be part of the global conversation”. By 2035, she added: “I hope this represents a global reference point for cinema for young people. My dream is that the filmmakers who started their trip to the film Festival will return as mentors. ”
For her, the personal trip was just as transformer. “He taught me that young people have an incredible depth of imagination and resilience,” she thinks. “When we give them the chance, they tell stories with honesty, courage and creativity. This reminded me that the narration concerns identity, connection and hope. The youngest voices often bear the most powerful truths. ”
In the end, this is the promise of the festival: central stories that are too often overlooked and to do it with sincerity. “It gives us a unique character,” she says. “We are a festival with a heart and a goal.”
