A six-day cinematic extravaganza commenced on Sunday evening with the opening of the fifth edition of Sharjah International Children’s Film Festival, SICFF 2017, at the Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre.

Inaugurated by Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, President and Director of Sharjah Art Foundation and organised by FUNN, Sharjah Media Arts for Youth and Children, SICFF 2017 features an unprecedented 124 films from 31 countries, as well as workshops, seminars and appearances by celebrated industry professionals.

"What gave me the passion for cinema was seeing a film of a young girl playing. I realised that her body movement was the language of beauty and nature. We need this language to achieve peace all over the world and that is what the festival is trying to achieve under the directives of H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. To meet this goal we established a committee of 19 members, including film experts, critics and children, to select the right films to screen during the festival, films that will deliver a message of love and creativity," said Sheikha Jawaher bint Abdullah Al Qasimi, Director of FUNN and Director of SICFF.

The opening of the fifth edition of SICFF also included a violin recital, a video of the festival organiser’s engagement with the Zaatari Refugee Camp in Jordan, a mime and dance sequence and the intervention of a robot named Titan, who implored children to have a go at making their own movie. The SICFF programme proper starts tomorrow at JRCC and runs until October 13.

SICFF 2017 will host 70 directors and filmmakers from around the world, with the United States leading the programme with 45 films, followed by the UAE with 33 films and then France with 29 films. This year’s edition of the festival will also hold more than 40 training workshops covering an array of topics on cinema and the visual arts, which will continue at locations in Sharjah up until November 16. The event has been made possible through the support of Crescent (Gold Sponsor), Gulftainer (Silver Sponsor), Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (Silver Sponsor) Emirates (Official Airline) and Centro (Hospitality Partner).

Source: WAM