Abu Dhabi

The activities of the eleventh edition of the Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth were launched yesterday, which is held under the patronage of the wife of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council, Governor Sharjah , Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Muhammad Al Qasimi, President of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs in Sharjah, in the presence of Sheikh Fahim bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Head of the Department of Government Relations in Sharjah, Sheikha Jawaher bint Abdullah Al Qasimi , General Director of the Fann Foundation and the festival, and a group of artists, directors, workers in the cinematic sector, and guests of honor from the UAE and the world, especially the artist Yusra, the artist Hoda Hussein , and artist Jaber Naghmoush , artist Ahmed Al Jasmi, artist Shajun, and others.

At the ceremony, held at the Sharjah Academy of Performing Arts, the “Guest of Honor” campaign was launched, where Palestine was chosen as the first guest of the festival, in celebration of diversity, heritage, and his contribution to wealth. Arab cinema. and the accompanying changes that allowed it to confirm its presence in several international film festivals, and to compete for the Academy Award in the Best Foreign Film category.

In her speech, Sheikha Jawaher bint Abdullah Al Qasimi emphasized that the festival continues its journey aimed at raising a creative generation that upholds identity, culture, heritage and social values, which reflects the vision of the Emirate of Sharjah and its objectives. excellent cultural project. She said: “The festival celebrates the great work of cinema in Sharjah’s capture, which is committed to supporting children and working to raise their status and prepare them for the future, giving into the sights of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin.

Mohammed Al Qasimi, and his wife, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, as they continue to work to raise the intellectual, cultural and creative awareness of children and youth, and build their personalities by empowering them, support and integration in the process. development and construction.” She expressed her pride in choosing Palestine as the guest of honor for the festival. She said: “For the first time, Palestine is the guest of honor at the festival, it is present among us with its history, its beauty and masterpieces, its culture, its humanity, and its purpose right with its ancient identity, its Arab origins, and its cinematic films, which have always been evidence of the place and the people, with their stories and details of their lives, to be justified in all our memories during the festival, celebrating the achievements of Palestinian cinema, which has contributed to the memory of Arab and international cinema with immortal works over many decades.”

For his part, Emirati artist Abdullah bin Haider said: “The Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth reflects the spirit of art and creativity, and over the years it has been successful in proving its ability to shine and innovate, and she has become a bridge. connecting the dreams and aspirations of our youth and the film industry and its wide range, and at a time when we celebrate its 11th session, we remember the importance of supporting give to youth and teenagers, who represent the strong heart of the society, and give to them. the opportunities they need that will empower them, develop their skills, and harness their energy and ideas in shaping their future.” He said: “Thanks to the technical development we are seeing, cinema has turned into a platform that allows young people to express their visions and dreams and benefit from the various programs offered by festivals that open the intellectual horizons of young people and give. opportunity for them to learn, gain experience and receive appropriate guidance.”

Real drama
In her speech, the artist Yasmine Al-Masry highlighted the importance of the event and the need to use storytelling as a tool to overcome borders and a bridge connecting cultures. She said: “Young people in the Arab region make up about 30% of the population, or about 110 million people, and in a world where 372 million people speak the Arabic language, the significance of the meaning of the words of sympathy clarified, as we cannot ignore the hard realities facing the Palestinian youth, the most important of which is poverty and stealing their lives.” , and loyalty. She continued: “I believe in storytelling as a tool against racism, hate, discrimination and stereotypes that try to distort the image and identity of the Arab man. The creators of films and series, and content, allow us to introduce the world to our rich culture and our rich human experience.” .

During the ceremony, the guests of the festival watched the scenes of the documentary drama “Whatever They Say”, which sheds light on our feelings and the view of the house, which represents a warm incubator for families, through the sounds that similar to his place, including the voice of the child “Habiba,” the daughter of Gaza, which represents the symbolism of To continue and stick to the land, and in this context, said the director of the work, Omar Walid, in his speech that the idea was. his film was inspired by the nature of the current conditions in the Gaza Strip and the destruction he sees as a result of the ongoing war there, emphasizing that documenting what happens on earth represents one of the most important artistic roles. . and a cinema. He said: “A whole year has affected all of us as Arab people. events and feelings themselves and bring them to the world.”

Evaluation of achievements
The opening ceremony of the festival would not have passed without a group of artists being crowned with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the level of the Emirates, the Gulf and the Arab region, which was deserved this year by the Emirati artist Jaber Naghmoush, the Kuwaiti. the artist Hoda Hussein, and the Egyptian artist Yousra, in recognition of their achievements and their contribution to the richness of art in general Through their dramatic, theatrical and cinematic works, they left an imprint a clear hit on Arab memory.

The members of the jury committees of the festival, which includes around 18 directors and experts from different countries around the world, were also revealed, the most prominent of them: the artist Shajoun Al-Hajri , Muhammad Al-Aubthani, Sebastian Reichhold, Hanna Atallah , Razan Taqsh, Soudad Kaadan, Jitendra Misher, Susan Johnston, Ahmed Zein, and others, who undertake the task of evaluating films competing for various awards of the festival, including: “Student-Made Films,” which will see 19 competing films, the “Short Narrative Films” category, which will include 11 films, the “Arabic Short Narrative Films” category, the “Animated Short Films” category, and the “Animated Feature Films”, the “Special Feature Films” category, and 20 promising judges will judge the works submitted for the category ” Films Made by Children and Young People” in the “Documentary Films” section, including a group of children and young people who are participating for the first time in the festival.

Festival Film Market
The current edition of the festival includes the screening of more than 90 films, carefully selected from more than 70 countries, including Zimbabwe, which is participating for the first time in the festival , which this year was able to attract a wide range of cinematic works. representing the Sultanate of Oman, Egypt, France, Iran, Russia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Palestine, South Korea, Spain, and Germany, while the “Green Carpet” stage ‘ hosts 3 films premiered in the Middle East, led by the Kuwaiti film “Amakor,” directed by Ahmed Al-Khudari and featuring Khaled Amin, Samah, Hussein Al -Shirazi, and the film “The Professor” from Directed by Farah Nabulsi, the adventure film “Diplodocus” is directed by Voytek and Ozczyk, and produced by Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland.

On the other hand, the “Filmichean Fèise” market, which represents a platform for directors and producers interested in the film industry, holds a series of meetings that provide opportunities for filmmakers, talents emerging, and students to present their projects and ideas to the industry. experts and communicate with them, as well as organizing a group of workshops and panel discussions and discussion sessions with the participation of a group of directors, artists and experts, where they discuss many of cinematic themes and issues and their impact on the industry. .