SAF launches Early Bird Passes for 8th Sharjah Film Platform

September 04, 2025 / 9:00 PM

Sharjah 24: Taking place from 14 to 23 November 2025, Sharjah Film Platform (SFP) will be held at Mirage City Cinema, the open-air theatre in Sharjah’s historical quarter, as well as other cinemas across Sharjah.

Early Bird Pass details

This special 40 AED pass offers unlimited access to all films during the 10-day festival. The Early Bird Passes can be purchased for a limited period of one month only.

Booking and access

Each Early Bird Pass will be issued in the form of a ticket bearing a barcode and a serial number. Although advance booking is not required for individual films, pass holders can still check in at the box office using the serial number on their pass to reserve a seat for any film screening if they wish.

Additional benefits

As part of this exclusive offer, pass holders will also receive special festival merchandise, making this an ideal package for both loyal attendees and first-time visitors.

Diverse film programme

The Early Bird promotion offers a convenient and cost-effective way to experience the diversity and depth of SFP’s international and regional film programme, which includes narrative, documentary and experimental works by emerging and established filmmakers.

Featured films

This year’s lineup includes On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (2024) by Rungano Nyoni. Set in Zambia, this comedy-drama has received wide acclaim on the international festival circuit, including the Un Certain Regard – Best Director Award at Cannes Film Festival.

Unique storytelling

Another highlight of the programme is Universal Language (2024), directed by Matthew Rankin. Set in an alternate world where Winnipeg and Tehran merge, the film is an absurdist comedy interweaving three tales, shot in a style that mimics the films of the 1970s Iranian New Wave.

Regional spotlight

Also featured is L’mina (2025) by Randa Maroufi, a poetic short film that captures the fading industrial legacy of Jerada, a former mining town in Morocco. The film won the Leitz Cine Discovery Prize at Cannes Film Festival this year.

Emirati talent

Supported by Sharjah Art Foundation’s Short Film Production Grant, Yathoom (2025), a drama on surviving trauma and loss by Emirati filmmaker Hana Kazim, will also be screened.