Sponsored: With nearly 30 international films making their UAE premieres, this year’s festival promises to be an unmissable event for cinephiles…

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Screening of Goodbye Julia, 2023. Director: Mohamed Kordofani. Sharjah Film Platform 6, Mirage City Cinema, Al Mureijah Square, Sharjha, 2023. Image courtesy of Sharjah Art Foundation.Photo: Shanavas Jamaluddin

Mohamad Malas, Oh Father, I Am Youssef (still), 2024. Image courtesy of the artist

Inas Halabi and Kaled Jarrar in conversation with Khaled Ziada, Sharjah Film Platform 6, Sharjah Institute of Theatrical Arts, 2023. Image courtesy of Sharjah Art Foundation. Photo: Motaz Mawid

Sharjah Art Foundation’s Sharjah Film Platform (SFP) is back for its seventh edition, running from November 15 to 24, 2024. Taking place at the Mirage City Cinema, a stunning open-air theatre in Sharjah’s historic quarter, and VOX Cinemas at City Centre Al Zahia, SFP7 will showcase a captivating mix of documentaries and fiction films, all competing for the prestigious Sharjah Film Platform Awards.

From powerful dramas to thought-provoking documentaries, the competition section features films from around the globe, including Myanmar, Rwanda, Palestine, and Bahrain. Each screening will be followed by intimate Q&A sessions with the filmmakers, offering audiences the chance to dive deeper into the stories behind the camera. Highlights include Upshot(2024) by Maha Haj and From Ground Zero (2024), a powerful anthology of short films from Gaza.

This year’s Director in Focus is the renowned Syrian filmmaker Mohamad Malas, whose moving works chronicle the modern history of Syria and beyond. Along with screenings of his iconic films The Dream (1987) and The Night (1992), Malas will premiere his latest film, Oh Father, I Am Youssef (2024).

In addition to the screenings, the festival will feature public programs exploring African and Asian cinema, resistance filmmaking, and the future of documentary storytelling. Plus, SFP7 introduces the Sharjah Film Platform Feature Fund, offering a Dhs500,000 grant to a UAE-based filmmaker to complete a narrative feature currently in production.

Tickets are available online at sharjahart.org.

Mirage City Cinema, VOX Cinemas, City Centre Al Zahia, Sharjah. November 15 to 24, 2024. Tickets available at sharjahart.org

Images: Provided