Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth (SIFF)

SIFF is back for its tenth edition on 22 to 28 October with an official selection of 81 films from 37 countries (slightly down on last year, which saw 90+ from 47 countries). But “the new edition promises to exceed audience expectations” said Sheikha Jawaher Bint Abdullah Al Qasimi, SIFF’s director, in her press statement; certainly there will be three world premieres and no fewer than 53 Middle East premieres.

There are screenings in seven categories, all competitive – Student Films, GCC Short Films, International Shorts, Animations, Animated Features, and Feature Films. There’s also a Green Carpet platform which will offer audiences the chance to see films (four of them) with a director’s Q&A; there are also eight talks and ‘open discussions’.

We can’t currently tell you much more than that; the website does list what films are being shown and when, but otherwise it’s largely bereft of useful information and clearly has some very outdated pages (including the director’s message, which still refers to the online-only Festival of 2021). Apparently ticket prices are the normal charges for Vox films and you can book them online via the Vox website as usual; the main location is Vox City Centre Al Zahia but we understand Mirdif City Centre and City Centre Ajman will have the screenings as well.

Above: still from Titina, dir Kajsa Naess (Norway/Belgium, 2022)