Sharjah Film Festival Heads on Inaugural Film Market, Plans of Film Fund Dedicated to Filmmaking for Children and Youth

The 11th edition of the Sharjah Intl. Film Festival for Children and Youth, taking place between Oct. 6 and 12, will mark the inaugural edition of the festival market. Described as a “hub for learning and industry connections,” the marketplace will “provide a dynamic space for filmmakers, emerging talents, and students to present their ideas and projects to industry experts.”

“Last year, we only had panel discussions, but this year we have the entire Zahia Theatre for us,” SIFF’s head of film festival Fatima Ibrahim Musharbek told Variety. “The market is a result of direct feedback from filmmakers but also our visits to other major international festivals like the Berlinale and Cannes. We thought: why not start our own market after 11 years of SIFF?”

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Sheikha Jawaher Abdullah Al Qasimi, director of SIFF and FANN, the festival’s mother organization, added that the motivation behind the creation of the market is to “broaden our scope beyond just children and youth, which have always been our primary focus. While we’ve traditionally brought filmmakers and producers to the festival to participate in panel discussions and Q&A sessions for the younger audience, we realized there was an opportunity to do more.”

Ibrahim Musharbek added: “Filmmakers have often told us that they need a hub to discuss their projects and meet other filmmakers because otherwise they miss out on the opportunity to collaborate. What is different about us is that – seeing as we are a festival dedicated to children and youth – the evening sessions are dedicated to the broader industry while the morning belongs to filmmakers, universities and schools. This way, we can still promote engagement between filmmakers and students so that we can inspire a new generation who will hopefully come back to us with their projects.”

Amongst the panel discussions are a talk on “Pitching Essentials for Independent Filmmakers” with screenwriter Nadia Tabbara, “From Stage to Cinema” with Emirati artist Marwan Abdullah Saleh and Kuwaiti artist Abdullah Al-Tarawa, “Visual Effect Unleashed: Behind the Magic” with designer Sebastian Reichhold and “Animate Your Imaginary Characters: Inspiring Youth to Dive into Animation” with Maya Fidawi.

The market will also include a session on independent film distribution, featuring discussions with experts in the region such as Bassam Al-Asaad of Creative Media Solutions, Elie Touma of Front Row Sales, and Emirati director Ahmed Zein.

Tied to SIFF’s programming around its Guest of Honour country of Palestine, Lab Palestine Film’s Hanna Atallah and Ola Salama will participate in a panel on producing Arabic content for children and youth, and director Omar Rimal and blogger Haifa Bseiso will lead a session on the future of the Palestinian narrative in cinema.

“Our vision is to make the festival not just a place for screenings and discussions, but a vibrant hub for the film industry where new ideas are born, partnerships are forged, and deals are made,” Al Qasimi said. “This year is just the beginning, but our long-term goal is to position the Film Market as a central gathering point for the industry, driving innovation and collaboration for years to come.”

Although this is only the first year of the Film Market, the team is ambitious in their future plans, which include the launch of a film fund. “We are only just starting, but we plan to add pitching sessions and a work-in-progress showcase. Most of all, we would like to have our own film fund, which we are currently discussing and hoping to have in place within the next two or three years. We must have a fund available because, if we want to encourage more filmmakers to specifically make films for children and youth, we need to support them financially,” emphasized Ibrahim Musharbek.