Films made by youngsters at the Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth showcased the unique perspective and vivid imagination of budding filmmakers.
The creative spark of Emirati children and their story telling skills shone through in four of the 10 films in the Child-Made category shown Tuesday at the seventh edition of the Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth (SIFF).
Seventeen-year-old Hind Al Mail presented two films – Go On, that outlined the need to stay true to one’s dreams despite the obstacles along the path; and A Silent Memory, which explored how although the waves of sorrow can pull you deeper away from yourself, sharing valuable life lessons can guide you on our way back home.
12-year-old Emirati students Aljoud Mohammed Alhajaj and Renad Ali Alhosani showcased Karma, their debut animation film, which delved into the universal values of acceptance and tolerance, whatever colour, shape, race or size one may be. The movie follows the adventure of a little tree on a journey of self-growth and ponders on how we would act, if we truly believed that what goes around comes around.
Sharjah’s Marwan Al Naqabi presented Tayyar Al Haya, a short film offering an insight into the consequences of good and evil while Rishith Menon, a grade 7 student at Delhi Private School Sharjah, told the tale of a little boy’s efforts in getting his father interested in his school project in Unearthed.
Barath Menon’s Tingo looked at the sequence of events unfolding when greed gets the better of a young boy.
Zhivar Farajzadeh delved into the innocent world of children with Serok, the story of an Iranian boy who helps his father as a shepherd in the summer while in Special Stories, Ekaterina Chekhomova from Russia told the touching story of a mother’s journey from disbelief and denial to acceptance and, finally, joy, as the parent of a child of determination.
Belgium’s Children with Camera-etc. presented one short animation – I’ve Lost My Dad, the series of adventures of a father and son as they set out in their little space ship for a joyride only to lose each other before being united again. And Associação de Ludotecas do presented one short animation – Bread Given By The Sea.
Day three of SIFF 2019 also featured several movies in the Short Films and Short Animation Films categories. The spectacular six-day display includes 132 films the festival organiser FUNN – Sharjah Media Arts for Youth & Children – has handpicked from across 39 countries.