Sharjah Children's Film Festival continues legacy

With an aim to bring excitement to young movie lovers, the fourth edition of the Sharjah International Children’s Film Festival (SICFF) showcased an eclectic selection of 15 films under the ‘Made By Students of FUNN’ category and 10 films under the ‘Made By Students’ category. 
The films shown at SICFF included features, shorts and documentaries that delve into topics ranging from social issues to the current refugee crisis. Each movie, beautifully scripted and exquisitely narrated, offered an entertaining as well as educative message for its audience.
Among the 25 films screened at SICFF, those made by FUNN students were a result of an intensive film-making project and educational workshops offered by FUNN in the past few months. The students were trained to use ultra-modern cinema techniques and production methods to be able to write, cast and act in the movies. The filmmaking experience has been strikingly executed in these movies that display the growth of budding talent in the region. 
Some of the films made by students at FUNN included ‘Diabetes’, ‘Our Planet’ and ‘Space Dream’, which were made in a 2D-animation workshop led by Sahar Abdalla. ‘Diabetes’ aims to raise awareness on the disease, while ‘Our Planet’ and ‘Space Dream’ use fascinating animation techniques along with vibrant visuals to feature crucial facts for saving the planet and aspiring to explore the unknown corners of space. In addition, ‘Magic Show’ and ‘Once Upon a Dream’ led by Sahar Abdalla during a pixilation workshop demonstrates fun magic tricks, while showing the connection between dreams and reality. In addition, ‘Job’s Honour’ supervised by Bahraini filmmaker, Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed, touches on the sensitive topic of respect for all professions.
Commenting on the films, Sheikha Jawaher bint Abdullah Al Qasimi, Director of FUNN and Director of SICFF, said, “There is nothing more rewarding than seeing younger generations pursue their dreams. Through this brilliant line-up of movies that represent stories inspired by our culture and surroundings, FUNN has once again confirmed that it truly supports and encourages youth and their dreams. As a top platform for garnering young talent, FUNN aims to take these film enthusiasts beyond the multiplex, from new to international cinema and everything in between.”
In addition to the films made by FUNN students, university students also tried their hand at a new genre of cinema that reflects their personal ideologies and philosophies. Some of the masterpieces included ‘A Way’ by Justin Mougin of France, which narrates a young girl’s journey to get out of a spatial structure and ‘Al Burqua’ by Maitha Alromaithi from the UAE that emphasises the importance of the veil.  
A group of CUD students underline the important message of reducing energy consumption through their title ‘Award Energy Consumption’ while ‘Cup Reader’ by Khalida Bataweel from Saudi Arabia transports the audience into the future through a magical cup. ‘Fears’, a Canadian animated short by Nata Metlukh, beautifully shows the important role that fear has in our day-to-day lives, while Nojoud, Shorooq, Fadwa and Noora from UAE, opened a cinematic window for the audience to see the causes of their pain in ‘Feelings Unsaid’. ‘Hallucination’ by Lemya Ahmed and Maitha Mohamed from UAE offers striking insight into an unknown and mysterious world, while ‘I Smile’ by Beshoy Maher from Egypt demonstrates that there is a ray of hope for all those that are suffering.
The final category that included movies made by children showcased an amazing line-up of films with most of the stories reflecting the thoughts and feelings of the youth toward social acceptance. ‘A World Divided in Colours’, made by Mexican children aged 9 to 14 years, features an intriguing plot revolving around the conflict between nature and industrialisation.  Similarly, Riya Rose Nishad from the UAE brings awareness to the issue of autism and parenting through her film ‘Blessed Child’, while Braces made by a group of Indian children aged 14 to 18 years depicts the social stigma of wearing braces as a child. ‘Fatso’ and ‘I Am Beautiful’ centre on the victims of body shaming, inspiring and motivating them to find inner strength. However, it was ‘Tears of Confession’ by Bharath Rajesh from India which stood out with its brilliant story that illustrates the power of achieving your aspirations during your worst moments.