Sharjah Art Foundation (SAF), in partnership with Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (ADMAF), invites Emirati filmmakers to apply for an open call to receive funding of AED 25,000. Designed to support independent Emirati cinema, this special grant will be offered to one Emirati awardee, jointly selected by the Foundation and ADMAF.

Through this dedicated grant, the awardees will be provided with opportunities and professional challenges that will help connect them with the international community of experimental filmmakers.

This open call is part of the seventh edition of the Sharjah Film Platform (SFP) Short Film Production Grant organised by Sharjah Art Foundation. Offered in conjunction with SFP — the Foundation’s annual festival of independent cinema and moving image—the grant provides funds for the completion of short films that test the boundaries of contemporary filmmaking. Grant recipients will premiere their completed films at a future edition of SFP.

For this grant, a short film is defined as a work with a total runtime of 50 minutes or less, including the credits. Applicants are required to submit a recorded three-minute pitch through which they will be assessed on the overall vision for their film, including genre, theme, structure and plot; the originality of their script; and their creative and technical skills.