SIFF sparks children's imagination with 22 films premiering in UAE

Organised by FUNN, the Sharjah-based organisation that promotes media arts learning among children and youth has curated 16 films from the UAE and six from the GCC in seven categories at Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre and Al Zahia City Centre.

UAE premieres
Among the list of 16 films making their debut in the UAE is Neighbours, a 124-minute production directed by Mano Khalil, a Kurdish-Swiss filmmaker who brings a fine sense of humour and satire in the film that tells of a childhood in a time of dictatorship, and how much friendship, love and solidarity are possible in times of repression and despotism.

From Germany, Director Damaris Zielke is premiering her film The Most Boring Granny In The Whole World, which talks about little Greta, a girl living with her grandmother who collects souvenirs and gazes at images of those who passed away. Greta, fed up with the boring activities, pretends that she is at her grandmother’s funeral, forcing them to consider questions they had never considered before. 

Zawal, directed by Mujtaba Saeed, brings in gut-wrenching suspense when eight-year-old Adam, confined with his mother in a refugee shelter after unknown virus ravages the world, steps outdoors against his mother’s orders and discovers the disastrous effects of terror that have swept over the town. 

GCC premieres
The French The Seine's Tears is one of the films debuting in the GCC during SIFF 2022. In a span of 9-minutes, it gives an all-new angle to the mockumentary concept that highlights the non-violent rally of Algerian workers on Parisian streets on October 17, 1961, despite a curfew enforced by French police.

A Second Life by Anis Lassoued narrates a story through the eyes of a 12-year-old boy named Gadeha, who last saw his dad embarking on a treacherous illegal trip to Italy. The boy spends most of his time seaside with his mates, nicking phones and catcalling passers-by until he gets involved in a car accident.

Through his film Shero, Director Claudio Casale tells the story of Shabnam, who was brutally assaulted with acid when she was still a teenager. She is now a Shero, an Indian women's rights fighter raising her child by teaching her the importance of beauty and feminine power outside traditional constraints.

SIFF 2022 will be screening 95 films throughout the 9th edition that brings together industry experts to lead a diverse array of 34 workshops offering opportunities for children and youth to explore and use media in various forms and gain insights into various aspects of filmmaking.