Sharjah Art Foundation is pleased to announce the Early Bird offer for the 8th edition of its independent film festival.
Taking place from 14 to 23 November 2025, Sharjah Film Platform (SFP) will be held at Mirage City Cinema, the open-air theatre in Sharjah’s historical quarter, as well as other cinemas across Sharjah.
This special 40 AED pass offers unlimited access to all films during the 10-day festival. The Early Bird Passes can be purchased for a limited period of one month only.
Each Early Bird Pass will be issued in the form of a ticket bearing a barcode and a serial number. Although advance booking is not required for individual films, pass holders can still check in at the box office using the serial number on their pass to reserve a seat for any film screening if they wish.
As part of this exclusive offer, pass holders will also receive special festival merchandise, making this an ideal package for both loyal attendees and first-time visitors.
The Early Bird promotion offers a convenient and cost-effective way to experience the diversity and depth of SFP’s international and regional film programme, which includes narrative, documentary and experimental works by emerging and established filmmakers.
This year’s lineup includes On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (2024) by Rungano Nyoni. Set in Zambia, this comedy-drama has received wide acclaim on the international festival circuit, including the Un Certain Regard – Best Director Award at Cannes Film Festival.
Another highlight of the programme is Universal Language (2024), directed by Matthew Rankin. Set in an alternate world where Winnipeg and Tehran merge, the film is an absurdist comedy interweaving three tales, shot in a style that mimics the films of the 1970s Iranian New Wave.
Also featured is L’mina (2025) by Randa Maroufi, a poetic short film that captures the fading industrial legacy of Jerada, a former mining town in Morocco. The film won the Leitz Cine Discovery Prize at Canne Film Festival this year.
Supported by Sharjah Art Foundation’s Short Film Production Grant, Yathoom (2025), a drama on surviving trauma and loss, by Emirati filmmaker Hana Kazim, will also be screened.
Moviegoers can purchase the Early Bird Pass through the Foundation’s website.
Stay tuned for more details on the full film schedule and programme highlights, to be announced in the coming weeks on sharjahart.org.
Sharjah Film Platform (SFP) is an annual festival of independent cinema and experimental filmmaking where audiences can discover new approaches to film and art. The 10-day event—which includes a range of regional and international films, talks by filmmakers and industry professionals, workshops and gatherings—is centred around Mirage City Cinema, the open-air theatre in Sharjah’s historical quarter.
Organised by Sharjah Art Foundation, SFP foregrounds recent cinematic achievements by international filmmakers and artists, noteworthy classics from around the region as well as experimental films that challenge the idea of what film practice is today.
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. 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 organisations 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. Hoor Al Qasimi serves as President and Director. All exhibitions are free and open to the public.
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 Mohammad 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 for 1998 and the UNESCO World Book Capital for 2019.
Alyazeyah Al Marri
alyazeyah@sharjahart.org
+971 (0)6 5444113