The opening evening of Sharjah Film Platform 4 (SFP4) will include the premiere of The Myth of Manila (2021) by Janus Victoria as well as Pelin Tan and Anton Vidokle’s work in progress, Notes for a film about Gilgamesh (2021), both of which were supported by SFP Short Film Production Grants. The evening will conclude with the regional premiere of the award-winning Zahori by Marí Alessandrini.
The Foundation’s annual film festival supports emerging and established filmmakers in the MENASA region and beyond through film screenings and a public programme of talks and workshops, grants and professional development initiatives. Taking place from 19 to 27 November 2021, SFP4 features screenings in cinemas and online of more than 50 films, including world and regional premieres, culminating in the presentation of awards for films submitted to an international open call for short and feature length films in narrative, documentary and experimental genres.
In parallel with the screenings, SFP4 will present public talks and masterclasses with an international roster of filmmakers and practitioners, children’s workshops and the second iteration of Industry Hub, an initiative launched by SAF in 2020 to deepen its support of film production and distribution regionally and internationally. This year’s festival advisory committee consists of Richie Mehta (film director, writer), Maike Mia Höene (film professor, Artistic Director of Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg) and Kerem Ayan (Director of Istanbul International Film Festival).
‘The annual Sharjah Film Platform plays an increasingly critical role in the realisation of our commitment to supporting and presenting the work of emerging filmmakers from the UAE, the MENASA region and beyond. New programmes, such as the Industry Hub, introduced last year, have already helped projects by regional filmmakers into production and we continue to offer grants to support the making of new work,’ said SAF Director Hoor Al Qasimi. ‘This year we introduce curated film programmes and a series of workshops and events for children. By bringing together local, regional and international filmmakers and audiences, the Film Platform gives us an opportunity to celebrate experimentation and creativity and to explore critical topics such as representation, identity and belonging.’
Film Screenings and Public Programmes
The 2021 film programme will open with the premiere of The Myth of Manila (2021) by Janus Victoria as well as Pelin Tan and Anton Vidokle’s work in progress, Notes for a film about Gilgamesh (2021), both of which were supported by SFP Short Film Production Grants.
SFP4 features screenings of more than 50 films submitted through this year’s international open call, as well as films from invited filmmakers which include world and regional premieres.
This year the ‘Director in Focus’ section celebrates the work of renowned Palestinian filmmaker Michel Khleifi whose films portray the lives of Palestinians under Israeli occupation. Three of the director’s award-winning films, Wedding in Galilee (1987), Tale of Three Lost Jewels (1995) and Zindeeq (2009), will be screened at the festival.
The festival also includes a collaboration with Istanbul Modern titled ‘Her Journey’, curated by Müge Turan, Head of Film Programme at Istanbul Modern. This section presents women-centric stories in 10 feature-length and short films by Turkish women directors.
At the conclusion of the festival, SAF will present awards to outstanding films in narrative, documentary and experimental categories. The jury members include Bani Khoshnoudi (artist and filmmaker), Akosua Adoma Owusu (filmmaker), Talal Derki (filmmaker), Lamia Joreige (artist, filmmaker), Bettina Steinbrügge (Director, Kunstverein In Hamburg), Halil Altindere (artist, filmmaker), Mike Goodridge (film producer), Renata Santoro (Head of Programming, Giornate Degli Autori) and Hala Lotfy (filmmaker).
In addition to the film screenings, SFP4 features talks and masterclasses—free and open to the public—that examine topics relevant to contemporary filmmaking, including archival practices, the art of the film score and inclusivity and representation in the film industry. Session speakers include notable filmmakers and industry professionals from the region and beyond, including BAFTA award–winning documentary filmmaker Kim Longinotto (Divorce Iranian Style, Shooting the Mafia); Stefanie Schulte Strathaus, Co-Director of the Arsenal Institute for Film and Video Art, Berlin; two-time Academy Award and Emmy nominated documentary filmmaker James Longley (Angels Are Made of Light, Iraq in Fragments, Gaza Strip); visual artist Basma Al Sharif, who was awarded a Jury Prize at Sharjah Biennial 9 for We Began By Measuring Distance; Jihan El-Tahri, award-winning filmmaker and Director of the Berlin-based DOX BOX; two-time Academy Award winner and five-time Academy Award nominated composer A. R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours); and filmmaker Mohamed Al-Daradji whose multi-award-winning Son of Babylon screened at the Sundance Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival.
SAF will present the film screenings and talks programme in a hybrid format, with some featured events available online through the festival’s virtual platform, and all films screening in cinemas at venues across Sharjah, including the Sharjah Institute of Theatrical Arts and the open-air Mirage City Cinema in Al Mureijah Square. The Foundation’s Collections Building will host workshops designed to give children hands-on experience with filmmaking essentials while an accompanying film will screen at the Flying Saucer building in Dasman.
Industry Hub
In keeping with its commitment to supporting and nurturing filmmaking talent regionally and internationally, Sharjah Film Platform also includes the Industry Hub, a critical programme that aims to nurture and strengthen creative innovation. It offers vital resources to filmmakers that support them in realising their projects, from idea to completion, and in reaching wider audiences with their films. It also aims to equip them with the professional tools and knowledge needed to succeed in the film industry and to provide a forum in which to exchange ideas, find future collaborators and receive valuable feedback.
The Industry Hub comprises the Pitching Forum, a feature scriptwriting competition with an open call; the Script Lab, a professional scriptwriting course; and the Virtual Film Distribution Market, a platform dedicated to supporting regional and international film distribution for short and feature-length films across genres. The Pitching Forum is supported by Sharjah Media City (SHAMS).
Returning for its third iteration, this year’s Pitching Forum has been merged with the Script Lab to offer one scriptwriter based in the UAE an opportunity to win 200,000 AED to turn their Arabic language feature-length script into a film. Shortlisted from a wider pool of applicants, 10 finalists will receive intensive scriptwriting training and professional pitching coaching and will then present their scripts to a panel of industry judges in front of a live audience at the closing weekend of Sharjah Film Platform. The prize winner will be announced at the festival’s closing ceremony the next day.
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