Sharjah, October 30 / WAM / His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, attended the closing ceremony of the fifth edition of the Sharjah Film Platform tonight in the Heart of Sharjah.
The closing ceremony began with the arrival of His Highness the Sovereign of Sharjah, who was received by Sheikha Hoor bint Sultan Al Qasimi, President of the Sharjah Art Foundation, Sheikh Salem bin Abdul Rahman Al Qasimi, Head of the Sovereign’s Office , Sheikha Nawar bint Ahmed Al Qasimi, Director of the Sharjah Art Foundation, and Abdullah Muhammad Al Owais, Head of the Culture Department Khalid Jassim Al Midfa, President of the Trade and Tourism Development Authority, Muhammad Obaid Al Zaabi, Head of Protocol and Hospitality Department, Dr. Khaled Omar Al Midfa, president of Sharjah Media City “Shams”, and a number of senior government officials, representatives of diplomatic missions and a group of artists and attendees.
Sheikha Hoor bint Sultan Al Qasimi, President of the Sharjah Art Foundation, gave a speech in which he said: “Today we welcome you to the closing ceremony of the Sharjah Film Platform, which we are holding to celebrate the artists and directors working in the sector. of independent cinema and the film industry, hoping that you enjoyed the performances of the platform in its fifth session, which presented this year has produced more than 30 regional and international films, as well as hosting many sessions of dialogue, qualitative initiatives and musical performances that were included in the festival ”.
He addressed the platform’s goals and efforts in recent years, saying, “Since its launch in 2018, the Sharjah Film Platform has been a supporting pillar for emerging artists and a destination for international cinema, and the growing development of the festival. year after year is an indication of the Sharjah Art Foundation’s commitment to promoting cultural mobility and supporting artists. ” And workers in the creative and cinematographic field in general “.
At the end of her speech, the President of the Sharjah Art Foundation thanked all those who contributed to the success of this session, the winners of the “Participatory Forum” competition and the winning films of the 2022 Platform Awards. She also thanked the partner in the film industry , Sharjah Media City “Shams”, and to the partners of the educational program, the American diplomatic mission in the country, the College of Arts and Humanities of the New York University Abu Dhabi and to the supporters of the educational program, the Embassy of France / Institut Français in the United Arab Emirates.
Shaun Murphy, Chargé d’affaires at the United States Embassy in the country, gave a speech in which he thanked the Sharjah Art Foundation for offering the opportunity to collaborate and participate in this important artistic event, praising the fruitful collaboration between the various institutions interested in the arts and cinema.
He praised the Emirate of Sharjah’s unlimited interest in culture in various fields and worked to promote youth by organizing numerous events and forums, which have made it a cultural city that has weight on the regional and global cultural map and a permanent forum for exchanging experiences and developing talents.
For his part, Adel Ali, CEO of Air Arabia, made a speech in which he referred to the strategic partnership with the Sharjah Art Foundation, which offers an opportunity for young people to show their talents on the one hand and the public to watch. and explore the cinematographic arts on the other.
He expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Foundation for providing the opportunity to collaborate and sponsor this important event at the film industry level and to support those interested in it.
Director Maryam Kashani delivered the jury’s speech, praising the various films submitted by attendees that reflected the preparation and development efforts at the Sharjah Art Foundation-accredited level in empowering content creators.
His Highness, the Ruler of Sharjah, honored the award winners of the second session of the Sharjah Film Platform, where he won the award for best feature film, “Cadha, A Second Life”, directed by Anis Aswad. The film “Welcome” directed by Catherine Mazuer won the award for best fiction short film, while the film “Break” directed by Naveed Negah Azad won an honorable mention in the feature film category.
The Copacabana Papers, directed by Fernando Portapalis, won the award for best experimental feature film. The film “How to reflect a spell: the promise of the archives”, directed by Yasmine Bin Abdullah, won the award for the best experimental short film, while the honorable homage went to the film “Growing up” directed by Jaroslav Bulavin.
In the documentary category, “Tributaries of the Amazon” won the award for best documentary, directed by Alvaro Sarmiento, Diego Sarmiento and Terry Tomsto, and “Twenty Pounds a Month”, directed by Hassan Ayman, won the award for the best documentary short film. As I Want, directed by Samaher Al-Qadi.
Samiha bint Saeed Alawi was awarded the Participatory Forum Award.
During the closing ceremony, a documentary film was shown on the most important cinematographic works that participated in the fifth session of the Sharjah Film Platform.
