The sixth edition of Sharjah International Children’s Film Festival (SICFF 2018), organized by FUNN – Sharjah Media Arts for Youth and Children, open its doors for the first set of screenings tomorrow (15 October). Day one holds an eclectic list of screenings to inspire hearts of children and youngsters.

Short films for children from the age of 11 to 13 will be screened from 10am until 11am. Beginning with an animated short Rouff, directed by a group of talented children from Germany, tells the tale of a graphic novel who feels stuck as he finishes the sketch of his usual dog cartoon character. Frustrated, he crumples it into the discarded pile where the pooch finds a way to inspire the stuck artist.

Followed by an animated short from UK, titled ‘Shock Therapy,’ which is directed by Mathhieu Landour and Bali Engel. The story revolves around Jim who has a crippling fear of everything from spiders to heights to darkness itself. Weary of his fears, he decides to spend a few days living together with his problems in one big mansion.

The next short is titled, ‘Sherbert Rozencratz, You’re Beautiful,’ directed by Natalie van den Dungen from Australia. A family-oriented short that deals with the relationship between a little girl named Milly and her guinea pig. Milly gets mocked by her slumber party friends whilst her neighbourhood friends appreciates her love for animals.

A fantasy short directed by Gustavo Teixeira from Brazil is titled, ‘Doctor of Monster,’ tells a story of a boy who wants to be a doctor that helps monsters. All this seems funny, until a real monster visits him. The last film in the category is titled, ‘Saroona,’ which is directed by Mousaed Khaled from Kuwait talks about an eight-year-old Saroona who gets new bicycle after the birth of her baby sister but has no one to play with. Wrapped with frustration, she packs her bag and takes her new bike off down her neighbourhood street by herself.

From 9:15am until 9:45am, short animation films made by children of up to 7 years will be screened: Patchwork Dog, Koyaa – Wild Sunbed, Penguin, Dragon Sledge, A Bit Lost, Ant, and BaDaBoo: The Boat Trip.

From 11:15am until 12:30pm, films made by students aged 14 to 18 years and college students will be screened. The titles are as follows: Animation (According to Children), The House, The Day I Beat the Sky, GP-to, Gokurosama, Shokool, Overrun, Aki, and A journey in search of AbulArabi.

In the evening session which begins at 5pm, a short 45 minutes animation titled Zafari will be screened. By 6pm until 7:20pm short films titled: Bless you, Doctor of Monster, Children of Neptus, Wishful Whiskers, Awaker, Weekends, and The Line will be shown on the big screen.

All the mentioned films will be screened at Al Jawaher Reception & Convention Centre and Zero 6 Mall, Al Majaz Waterfront, Al Zora and Last Exit in Al Khawaneej, Dubai. More information regarding the date and time are available on the website, www.sicff.ae as well as on social media platforms through hashtag #SICFF18.

FUNN aims to nurture future generations of creative artists in media and film and promote new works made by the UAE’s young filmmakers at international film festivals and workshops worldwide. Its larger goal is to foster talent through events locally and internationally and to form a close-knit network of talented young people who can share experiences and expertise on a global scale.