Overview
Sharjah Art Foundation has extended its deadline for emerging and established filmmakers to submit their films for the third edition of the annual Sharjah Film Platform (SFP). Selected films will be screened as part of the festival’s film programme from 14 to 21 November 2020 and considered for a juried award.
Providing a critical platform for filmmakers, producers, critics and students, SFP was launched by Sharjah Art Foundation in 2018 as a resource to support filmmaking in the UAE and the surrounding region. In addition to curated film screenings, SFP features a public programme of talks, panel discussions and workshops that bring international film experts to Sharjah and premieres the films supported by the Short Film Production Grant. SFP furthers the Foundation’s longstanding commitment to film programming and commissions.
Since its inaugural edition, SFP has screened more than 190 short and feature-length narrative, documentary and experimental films at the Foundation’s open-air Mirage City Cinema and in various venues across the city of Sharjah. These films have been made not only by local and regional filmmakers but also by those from other parts of the world. The talks and panel discussions have focused on wide-ranging themes related to current and contemporary issues in the film industry, and aspiring filmmakers and film enthusiasts have taken part in workshops covering different aspects of filmmaking, including screenwriting, production, film criticism and acting.
The prize-winning films from the second edition of SFP were Syed Maisam Ali Shah’s Far in Night (Best Narrative Film); Moahmmadreza Vatandoust’s Lotus (Best Documentary Film); and Yashaswini Raghunandan’s The Cloud Never Left (Best Experimental Film).
Filmmakers interested in screening their films during the third edition of SFP are invited to submit an original film by the new deadline of 10 May 2020. All films, regardless of artistic approach, format, or themes, will be accepted for consideration. International applications are accepted. Successful applicants will be notified by email.
To view the terms and conditions and to apply, click here.
About Sharjah Art Foundation
Sharjah Art Foundation is an advocate, catalyst and producer of contemporary art within the Emirate of Sharjah and the surrounding region, in dialogue with the international arts community. Under the leadership of founder Hoor Al Qasimi, a curator and artist, the foundation advances an experimental and wide-ranging programmatic model that supports the production and presentation of contemporary art, preserves and celebrates the distinct culture of the region and encourages a shared understanding of the transformational role of art. The foundation’s core initiatives include the long-running Sharjah Biennial, featuring contemporary artists from around the world; the annual March Meeting, a convening of international arts professionals and artists; grants and residencies for artists, curators and cultural producers; ambitious and experimental commissions and a range of travelling exhibitions and scholarly publications.
Established in 2009 to expand programmes beyond the Sharjah Biennial, which launched in 1993, the foundation is a critical resource for artists and cultural organizations in the Gulf and a conduit for local, regional and international developments in contemporary art. The foundation’s deep commitment to developing and sustaining the cultural life and heritage of Sharjah is reflected through year-round exhibitions, performances, screenings and educational programmes in the city of Sharjah and across the Emirate, often hosted in historic buildings that have been repurposed as cultural and community centres. A growing collection reflects the foundation’s support of contemporary artists in the realisation of new work and its recognition of the contributions made by pioneering modern artists from the region and around the world.
Sharjah Art Foundation is a legally independent public body established by Emiri Decree and supported by government funding, grants from national and international nonprofits and cultural organisations, corporate sponsors and individual patrons. All exhibitions are free and open to the public.
About Sharjah
Sharjah is the third largest of the seven United Arab Emirates and the only one bridging the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Reflecting the deep commitment to the arts, architectural preservation and cultural education embraced by its ruler, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Sharjah is home to more than 20 museums and has long been known as the cultural hub of the United Arab Emirates. It was named UNESCO's Arab Capital of Culture in 1998 and the UNESCO World Book Capital in 2019.
Media Contact
Alyazeyah Al Reyaysa
+971(0)65444113
alyazeyah@sharjahart.org