SAF’s annual independent film fest returns for its 7th edition

SFP7 takes place in Mirage City Cinema, the open-air theatre in Sharjah’s historical quarter, and VOX Cinemas, City Centre Al Zahia.

The Competition section includes documentary and fiction films, all UAE premieres that have been nominated by an international committee of filmmakers and industry professionals. Vying for the Sharjah Film Platform Awards, this year’s selection features a wide range of films from different parts of the world, including Myanmar, Bhutan, Rwanda, Nigeria, Colombia, Bahrain and Palestine. Film screenings will be followed by Q&A sessions with the participating directors. 

Highlights of the Competition section include: Kamal Al Jafari’s documentary A Fidai Film (2024) which seeks to reclaim the looted memories of Palestinian history by using archival footage; Places of the Soul (2023) by Hamida Issa, which follows an environmental expedition to Antarctica while juxtaposing its icy landscape with the deserts of Qatar, the filmmaker’s home country; Pham Ngoc Lan’s fiction film Cu Li Never Cries (2024), a black and white film interweaving personal and political histories in current day Vietnam; and The Great Yawn of History (2024) by Iranian filmmaker Aliyar Rasti, a story about 
a middle-aged religious man who goes on a quest for hidden treasure. 

Among the roster of films are two supported by Sharjah Art Foundation: From Ground Zero (2024), an anthology of 22 short films created by filmmakers from Gaza; and short film Upshot (2024), directed by Maha Haj, which tells a story of a solitary couple and the aftermaths of a painful past. 

The Director in Focus segment honours regional directors for their lifetime achievements in global cinema. This year, SFP7 presents the work of auteur Mohamad Malas, renowned for his moving films chronicling the modern history of Syria and its neighbouring countries. Along with the screening of The Dream (1987), The Night (1992) and the global premiere of his latest film Oh Father, I Am Youssef (2024), Malas will offer a masterclass on the role of storytelling in cinema.

Presented in parallel with the film screenings, a series of public programmes provides opportunities for learning and gathering. This year’s programme focuses on notions of modernity in new African and Asian film, cinema as resistance and resilience from Palestine and beyond, as well as innovations in documentary filmmaking, among other topics. 

Also part of this year’s SFP is the Sharjah Film Platform Feature Fund that will award 500,000 AED to one UAE-based scriptwriter, director or lead/executive producer for the completion of an English- or Arabic-language narrative feature currently under production. Formerly the Pitching Forum, the strengthened fund now provides more comprehensive and robust support to filmmakers in the country. 

Organised by Sharjah Art Foundation, SFP7 has been made possible with the generous support of the UAE Ministry of Culture, Sharjah Media City Free Zone (Shams), VOX Cinemas and Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation.

For more information on Sharjah Film Platform 7, visit sharjahart.org.