SIFF to see 18 artists, directors from 10 nations participating

The Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth (SIFF) has announced an 18-member jury for their 2019 edition. Featuring accomplished Arab and international artists and film experts, the jury will be evaluating entries in SIFF’s seven competition categories: Child and Youth Made Film, Student’s Films, GCC + UAE Short Films, International Short Films, Animation Films, Documentary Films and Long Feature Films.

The festival is organised by FUNN – the Sharjah-based organisation that promotes media arts learning among children and youth, and will be hosting its seventh edition, 13 – 18 October, at the Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre (JRCC) in Sharjah.

This year’s jury comprises a diverse group of accomplished artists, film directors and social media influencers from 10 countries, namely, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Japan, France, Canada, UK and Syria.

The evaluation criteria will include assessing the film’s idea, objectives, implementation standards, creativity and innovation, presentation, techniques and organisation. The jury is truly global this year and has brought together a group of seasoned specialists in the children’s and youth films genres.

Saudi director, Ahmed Al Shayeb, who has to his credit several short documentaries; Emirati actor, short film maker and author, Yaser Alneyadi; and filmmaker and YouTuber from Bahrain, Omar Farooq, will be the student’s films will be evaluating entries in the student’s films category.

This category’s jury comprises award-winning actor from Saudi Arabia, Abdulmohsen Al Nemer; Emirati actor-director, Abdullah Al Junaibi, who won Best Director at the 14th Dubai International Film Festival in 2017; and popular Kuwaiti actors, comedian and director Abdul Rahman El Aqel. Aqel’s theatre performances are hugely popular in GCC and Arab regions.

Michiko Tachimotom from Japan, president of a multimedia plan for children ‘colobockle’; film critic, Khalid Rabai, who has been working in the fields of cultural journalism and film critique since 1991; Nawaf Alshobaili, author and actor from Saudi Arabia who is famed for his roles in ‘Wasati’ and ‘Will Somyati Go to Hell?’. Syrian Actor, Bassel Khayat will bring his experience from both silver and small screens to the jury.

Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, a Kuwaiti clinical psychologist and award-winning writer; Mohammad Fikree, an Emirati filmmaker and music composer; and Carlos De Carvalho, artist, graphic designer and award-winning short films maker from France will be evaluating entries to this category.

Jurors responsible for submissions in this category include award-winning Egyptian journalist, film critic and professor of Media Criticism in Cairo University, Tarek Elshenawy; Nadir Nahdi from UK, founder of BENI, a YouTube channel highlighting young people from diverse backgrounds; and Julian Carrington, the Distribution Manager at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.

Yousry Nasrallah, an Egyptian film maker and film critic; and Nahla Al Fahad, Emirati director & executive producer touted as one of Mena region’s leading documentary makers, will come together to decide the winner of this category.

FUNN, the Sharjah-based organisation that promotes media arts learning among children and youth, announced that the festival’s seventh edition will feature 132 films from 39 countries.

Unveiling the details at a press meet in Sharjah on Monday, Director of FUNN and SIFF Sheikha Jawaher Bint Abdullah Al Qasimi said that the audience will enjoy many special films, particularly those dedicated to youth, an age group we are targeting beginning with this edition.

She noted that the SIFF objectives were evolving with the times to ensure that the films it screened would remain topical and project the right messages. She underscored that it was essential for the new generation of filmmakers to be authentic and honest in choosing a subject they could identify with which would also resonate with audiences the world over.

Speaking about the theme of this year’s film festival, she said, “Many of the Arabic and international film masterpieces have been inspired by books. Films based on literary classics have the power to connect with audiences across generations. Books will always inspire all forms of arts.”