Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth (SIFF)

SIFF is back for its eleventh edition with an expanded official selection of 98 films (last year had just over 80) selected from 1,834 submissions from 73 countries. Zimbabwe takes part for the first time; Palestine’s selection as Guest of Honor makes good sense, given both consistent success of Palestinian films and the miserable situation in the country. Sheikha Jawaher bint Abdullah Al Qasimi, DG of the Festival noteds that “Palestinian cinema continues to deliver thought-provoking, visually captivating works that reflect the pulse of Palestinian society”.

The Green Carpet platform, a highlight of the festival, will feature four premieres – Amakor, a Kuwaiti comedy drama directed by Ahmed Al-Khodary; The Trainers, an Italian film directed by Andrea Joplin; The Teacher, directed by the British-Palestinian filmmaker Farah Nabulsi (reviewed as “riveting, eye-opening … an intimate exploration of life in occupied Palestine” by The Hollywood Reporter); and Diplodocus, an engaging animation about a little green dinosaur from the Polish filmmaker Wojtek Wawszczyk (above).

There’s a good selection of films in competition – 11 in the International Short Films category, 17 Arabic shorts, 14 animated shorts, four animated features and a dozen live-action features, 11 documentaries, 19 in the student category, and a cheery 10  for Films Made by Children and Young People.

The festival’s film market includes some practical workshops including a panel session on independent film distribution and another on the future of the Palestinian narrative in cinema.