Syrian refugees in the limelight at Sharjah children film festival

Sharjah - The fourth edition of SICFF organised by Funn (Sharjah Media Art for Youth and Children) will screen a collection of refugee films to provide a platform for Syrian child filmmakers so that their voice can be heard.

The Sharjah International Children's Film Festival (SICFF) will spotlight on a special group of films that depicts the lives of Syrian refugees. The event which will begin on October 23 until 28 will take place at various indoor (JRCC and NOVO Cinemas) and outdoor (Al Majaz Waterfront and Al Qasba) venues.
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The fourth edition of SICFF organised by Funn (Sharjah Media Art for Youth and Children) will screen a collection of refugee films to provide a platform for Syrian child filmmakers so that their voice can be heard.
Addressing a press conference on Sunday at the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce, Shaikha Jawaher bin Abdullah Al Qasimi, Director said the SICFF is organised annually for young filmmakers to make their debut and learn new film techniques. It is an initiative of Funn, a Sharjah-based foundation that seeks to promote media arts and creative talent among youth in the UAE.
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"We are very proud of the global participation that SICFF has seen this year," said Shaikha Jawaher. "Undoubtedly, our beginning was modest four years ago. However, this year, we will witness the participation of 425 films from 59 different participating countries, ranging from short and long features in various genres."
The star-studded jury, this year, will feature SICFF's regular panelists Shahin Yazdani and Abdullah Hassan Ahmed, newcomer Firdoze Bulbulia and internationally renowned actor, director and producer, Will Smith. As many as 121 short films from 33 countries will be competing for awards in eight categories: "Best Child Made Film", "Best Student Film", "Best Emirati film", "Best Short Film from the Gulf", "Best International Short Film", "Best Animation Film", "Best Documentary Film" and "Best Feature Film".
Furthermore, the 2016 edition of the festival will include two additional elements not present in previous years. The Video Coverage Contest will entail a group of university students documenting the festival through their own video cameras. The students must start filming on the first day of the festival and produce the final edited version by the morning of October 27th for judging purposes.
Secondly, Funn and Noon Arts Centre in Saudi Arabia have collaborated on a cultural exchange programme through which a documentary film was created to catalog the participants' experiences. The film will be screened on the last day of the Festival at 3.30pm
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com

• Sharjah