Sharjah’s 4th Thriller Festival returns at SIBF

From North America to Europe, South Asia, and the Arab world, the 2025 lineup features diverse international thriller voices. Top authors include Chris Pavone (USA) of The Doorman and Two Nights in Lisbon; Jennifer Hillier (Canada), award-winning for Jar of Hearts and Things We Do in the Dark; and Stacy Willingham (USA), whose debut A Flicker in the Dark sold over a million copies in North America. They are joined by Daniel G. Miller (USA), creator of The Red-Letter series, and Matt Witten (USA), known for Law & Order, House, and Pretty Little Liars, and whose novel Leonardo DiCaprio optioned the Necklace. From Europe, Iceland’s Ragnar Jónasson and Eva Björg Ægisdóttir will explore Nordic noir and tension-building. The UK’s Araminta Hall, whose 'Imperfect Women' adaptation starring Elisabeth Moss premieres on Apple TV in 2026, and Clare Whitfield, author of 'Poor Girls', will discuss developing psychological depth and narrative unpredictability in modern thrillers.

Crime and culture from South Asia and the Arab World

Representing South Asia, S. Hussain Zaidi (India), the celebrated chronicler of Mumbai’s underworld and author of Dongri to Dubai, joins Omar Shahid Hamid (Pakistan), a former counterterrorism officer and author of The Prisoner and The Election, to explore how real-life crime influences fiction. Adding a regional voice, Mirna Al Mahdi (Egypt) will showcase the growing strength of Arab authors in the global thriller landscape, emphasising how the region’s diverse stories enrich the genre’s evolution.

A Sharjah original: Murder at the Majlis

This year’s festival will premiere Murder at the Majlis, an original interactive murder mystery set in Sharjah. Written by Bhoomika Ghaghada, directed by Tarun Shyam, and performed by students from the American University of Sharjah, the production invites audiences to solve a live mystery while celebrating local storytelling and community theatre. Blending suspense, culture, and participation, the play exemplifies Sharjah’s commitment to fostering homegrown talent and creative expression.

Panels, workshops, and immersive storytelling

ver four days, the festival will showcase a series of engaging discussions and creative masterclasses. Highlights include Scene One, Chapter One: Translating Novels to Screen, where Matt Witten and Ragnar Jónasson will explore the journey from page to screen. Writing Thrillers Through a Cultural Lens with Eva Björg Ægisdóttir and Omar Shahid Hamid will examine how geography and culture shape suspense narratives. In Inside the Underworld, S. Hussain Zaidi will reflect on the intersection of crime and storytelling, while Crafting Fear in Thrillers with Araminta Hall and Mirna Al Mahdi delves into the psychology of fear and the creation of characters. Stacy Willingham and Jennifer Hillier will lead Where Trauma Lives, an exploration of how grief and loss fuel emotional depth in thrillers. The programme also includes workshops on television writing, creative storytelling, and marketing fiction, led by Matt Witten, Shirley Jump, and Daniel G. Miller, respectively.