It is an artistic event dedicated to preserving the Arab heritage through films.
Sharjah Institute for Heritage (SIH) will host the second edition of the Arab Heritage Film Festival in Khorfakkan. The event will run from October 18 to 22, 2021.
The second edition will be dedicated to Esmat Yahya, a late artist.
Dr Abdul Aziz Al Musallam, Chairman of the Sharjah Institute for Heritage and Honourary President of the Festival, said: “Lovers of heritage and cinema are in for a treat with the second edition of the Arab Festival of Heritage Film, which showcases a group of films that open up a new horizon in the history of Arab cinema by highlighting the Arab heritage through a number of documentaries and realistic heritage-related films in an attempt to explore history and revive its gist. Our hosting is manifested in promoting all the goals of the festival, which includes an attempt to discover and restore history, through a distinctive and effective pivotal role for the Sharjah Institute for Heritage, the most prominent of which is activating a serious cinematic movement that aims to raise awareness of the importance of popular, civilized and natural heritage and work to spread Arab culture and identity, and activate the role of Arab Documentary Cinema on Heritage Topics.”
Ahmed Salem Al-Bairaq, Director of the Sharjah Institute for Heritage’s Institutional Communication Department, added: “The second edition of the festival, which is characterised by a special imprint from the institute, will be a station and a wide address that opens the door to enter the cinema world through the heritage sport. And here we are at the institute, continuing the journey and adding to it in a way that reinforces and deepens this type of activity in the various works of Arab creators, for heritage deserves all this and more.”
Al-Bairaq pointed out that the choice of Khorfakkan to host the festival confirms the city’s importance, strategic location and historical position, distinction in traditional handicrafts, and rich heritage of folk arts, folk stories, and tales.
The festival aims to accomplish a number of objectives, including encouraging institutions, bodies, and individuals to become interested in heritage documentary film, achieving communication and interaction among stakeholders, creating a channel of communication between workers in the field of cinema and heritage, and creating films that express our heritage and civilisation, and also encouraging the students of colleges and specialised art institutes who are interested in this field.
The festival holds competitions for heritage documentary short films and heritage documentary feature films, and it honours one of the notable Arab personalities who has contributed to heritage in his or her field on a yearly basis.
