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The Emirate of Sharjah saw the announcement of Sharjah International Children’s Film Festival (SICFF), the first of its kind in the region, launching from October 21, with a focus on educating children and youth on the value of the big screen and the motion picture, while nurturing their creative impulses and talents for filmmaking. The SICFF is a new project by FUNN, under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of the Ruler of Sharjah, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family affairs.
The press conference began with an opening statement by Noor Karmustaji, FUNN’s Business Development Coordinator, introducing SICFF followed by the announcements by FUNN’s Assistant Manager and SICFF Director Jawaher Abdulla Al Qasimi. The festival is showcasing 78 films from 32 countries, with several local and regional filmmakers as well as films from Latin America, Europe, Africa, and the Far East. It promotes the idea of young creative expression, with its films for children by children being displayed alongside the more professionally produced clips and videos.
SICFF Director Jawaher Abdulla Al Qasimi elaborated: “We’ve dedicated ourselves to ensuring a significant variety in film types over the course of the festival. SICFF is about education, entertainment, and enrichment. Our vision is for the festival to give our visitors and attendees, as well as the talent we will be sharing with everyone, deeper and wider understanding of the many fascinating cultural differences that make us all unique and brings out the greatness in us all, and we feel with the anecdotes and narratives that will be on show, we’ve managed to do that very nicely.”
Hassan Al-Balgouni, Director of Public Relations and Community Service at Sharjah Islamic Bank stated: “I extend special thanks to Her Highness Sheikha JawaherBint Mohammed Al Qasimi for her continued efforts in drawing attention to social and family issues in our beloved Emirate of Sharjah. This is reflected in the great efforts made to adopt a humanitarian and socially uplifting message, whose positive mark can be seen in virtually every home in Sharjah. Sharjah Islamic Bank’s support for this festival is our national duty as an institution that is an integral part of the fabric of this generous country.”
He added: “It is an exceptional achievement for Sharjah to host a festival which is the first of its kind at the national and regional levels. It is even more exceptional that these films are taking into account our religious principles, values and cultural traditions, thereby giving our children an opportunity to engage in positive creative expression while protecting them from destructive ideas. I urge you all to collectively fulfill the motto of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah – who said: ‘We enter your home to guard your children’.”
Jawaher Abdulla Al Qasimi concluded: “I think it is a great and dynamic way to celebrate our youth, our creativity, and the talents of filmmakers and storytellers across the planet… to live up to FUNN’s vision of nurturing young creative thinking: we want to always remember that we love stories, we are a storytelling species, and our children can tell incredible stories and can learn so much from well-told narratives.”
That sums up the expectation and the eagerness of everyone involved. This is a festival of entertainment, education, and creativity. It is meant to encourage thinking and storytelling. It is meant to nurture our youth and children, to push them towards great things.
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