Sharjah Art Foundations annual independent film festival returns for its sixth edition, will be held between December 8 to 17

This December, the sixth edition of the annual independent film festival presented by the Sharjah Art Foundation will take place. The festival will be held from December 8 to December 17 at the Sharjah Institute of Theatrical Arts and Mirage City Cinema, an outdoor theatre situated in Sharjah's historic quarter. It is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Youth, Sharjah Media City Free Zone (Shams), Air Arabia, and VOX Cinemas.

Some of the screenings, aimed at fans of independent movies, will also take place at VOX Cinemas City Centre Al Zahia. The event this year will include special screenings from all across the area in addition to approximately 40 international short and feature-length films vying for the Sharjah Film Platform Awards.

Presenting their UAE premieres, all the films in competition were created within the past 24 months. The film festival will begin with Khaled Jarrar's documentary Notes of Displacement (2023), which is part of an amazing lineup that has already created ripples in the industry.

Films will be awarded under the categories of Documentary Feature, Fiction Feature, Fiction Short, and Documentary Short based on their length and genre by an international jury of industry professionals.

Those interested can take part in an interesting Q&A session with the filmmaker following each film screening. There will also be discussions and panels centred on resistance and solidarity.

The festival will honour the late Senegalese director Safi Faye with three screenings and a conversation about her work, which should heighten the anticipation.

For those who enjoy films and are interested in becoming filmmakers, there will also be the chance to meet the directors and creative teams behind the films that are exhibited during the festival.

Event Details:

Event: Sharjah Art Foundation’s annual independent film festival

Date: Friday December 8 to Sunday December 17

Venue: Mirage City Cinema, Sharjah Institute of Theatrical Arts and VOX Cinemas City Centre Al Zahia.

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