Khaberni - Sheikha Jawaher bint Abdullah Al Qasimi, Director of the “Funoon” Foundation and Director of the Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth, confirmed that the 12th edition of the festival, which will be held from October 5-12, is rich with many new additions.
Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi said in an interview with Emirates News Agency "WAM" that this year's festival will feature the Republic of Korea as the guest of honor, with an entire day dedicated to Korean films, in addition to many artistic workshops and discussion sessions related to Korean cinema, highlighting Korean heritage and traditions.
She explained that the number of countries participating in the festival this year reached 26 out of 80 countries that applied for participation, including Ecuador participating for the first time, alongside other countries such as France and Spain. The festival received 1700 films, out of which 70 were selected. She indicated that the festival management is keen on choosing films that carry a message and human values, as well as educational aspects that are stimulating for children and youth.
She added that the festival's opening ceremony will take place at the Qasimia University Theatre. The participating films will be shown at VOX Cinemas in Al Zahia Center in Sharjah, VOX Cinemas in Mirdif City Centre in Dubai, and VOX Cinemas in City Centre Ajman. She noted that the morning period is designated for school students, and the evening period for the public, alongside an outdoor cinema in the Sharjah Research, Technology, and Innovation Park, and specialized workshops will be held, with some events being transferred to the central and eastern regions.
She mentioned that this year the festival will launch, for the first time, the World Conference on Children and Youth Films to discuss the most pressing issues and challenges facing children's cinema, with the participation of a number of festival directors from around the world specializing in this type of films, alongside specialized media personnel. She pointed out that one of the main challenges is delivering the voice of children and youth.
She added that the conference will allocate a session on the importance of the perspective of children and youth in filmmaking, and another on the role of festivals specialized in children and youth films and their role in nurturing this talent or enhancing content for this age group.
She mentioned that this edition of the festival will include discussion sessions for a collection of films overseen by several young directors, involving production companies and platforms specializing in film screenings, indicating that the festival will serve as a link between the two sides.
She explained that the green carpet of the festival will see the attendance of several stars of Arab art, and Saudi actor Abdulmohsen Al Nemr will be honored in the "Lifetime Achievement" category at the Gulf level, while Abdullah Saleh will be honored in the same category at the local level, in addition to a special honor for Syrian actor Basem Al-Khayat. In the category of young Emirati artists, actor Marwan Abdullah Saleh will be honored, and at the Gulf level, Bahraini artist Hala Al Turk will be honored.
She confirmed that the “Funoon” Foundation annually participates in many specialized international festivals, one of the most prominent being the Cannes Film Festival, to enhance experience and explore the latest artistic experiences presented by the festival, indicating that the Cannes Festival has issued more than 20,000 copies of its publications bearing a logo and images about the Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth.
