Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, the twelfth edition of the Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth (SIFF) opened this weekend at Al Qasimia University Theatre.
Organised by FUNN, an initiative dedicated to promoting media arts among young people, SIFF continues to evolve as more than a festival. It is a classroom, a playground, and a canvas, one that redefines cinema as both education and empathy.
The opening ceremony honoured three generations of Arab talent. Emirati actor Abdullah Saleh and Saudi actor Abdulmohsen Al Nemer were recognised with the Lifetime Achievement Award for their contributions to theatre and cinema in the Gulf, while Syrian actor Abed Fahed received the award at the Middle East level. Youth recognition followed, with Emirati actor Marwan Abdullah Saleh and Bahraini artist Hala Al Turk awarded for their growing influence on the region’s creative scene. Syrian actor Basel Khayat was also honoured for his long-standing contribution to Arab storytelling.
In her opening remarks, Sheikha Jawaher bint Abdullah Al Qasimi, Director of SIFF, reflected on Sharjah’s deep cultural vision, a vision rooted in the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi and Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, who have consistently framed culture as a bridge between imagination and progress.
“Cinema is not only an art of entertainment,” she said, “but a tool for learning, reflection, and discovery – a platform for exchanging human experience.”
This year, the festival’s programming mirrors that sentiment. Featuring 74 films from 26 countries, the lineup includes three Middle East premieres: Miss Moxy (Netherlands), 2:15 PM (Korea) by director Seryeong Jung, and Hajir (Saudi Arabia) by Sarah Taleb. It is a diverse selection, curated to spark curiosity across cultures, languages, and genres.
Korean cinema, celebrated as this year’s Guest of Honour, embodies this cross-cultural spirit. Known for its emotional depth and artistic precision, its inclusion offers young audiences an introduction to a storytelling tradition that has transcended geography to become a global language of empathy and innovation.
Beyond screenings, SIFF’s calendar is filled with interactive workshops, panel discussions, and creative sessions, each designed to bring children and youth closer to the art and technique of filmmaking. These sessions go beyond performance, they teach lighting, editing, direction, and the use of modern cinematic tools, cultivating a generation that not only consumes stories but creates them.
The festival also carries a social heart. Proceeds from ticket sales will support humanitarian initiatives through the Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi Humanitarian Foundation, reaffirming FUNN’s belief that creativity and compassion are intertwined, that film, at its best, is a medium that connects and uplifts.
Actor Marwan Abdullah Saleh, recipient of the Youth Award, perhaps captured the festival’s essence best. “Cinema,” he said, “is where imagination becomes visible.” His words underline what Sharjah has long understood, that nurturing creativity is not a luxury, but an investment in the future.
As the lights dimmed and the first film began, the mood inside Al Qasimia University Theatre was unmistakable, anticipation, pride, and the quiet belief that storytelling remains one of humanity’s most universal languages.
Twelve years in, SIFF stands not just as a festival, but as an ecosystem, one that continues to remind the world that the Gulf’s next generation of filmmakers will not merely inherit the region’s creative legacy. They will redefine it.
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