Sharjah Art Foundation’s annual celebration of independent and experimental cinema, Sharjah Film Platform (SFP), returns for its eighth edition from 14 to 23 November 2025 with an exciting lineup of films, talks and artist development programmes. Screenings and events will take place at Mirage City Cinema, Sharjah Art Foundation’s open-air theatre in the historic Arts Square, as well as VOX Cinemas in City Centre Al Zahia.
This year’s edition brings together filmmakers from Zambia, Ecuador, Malta, Lebanon, Palestine, the UAE and beyond, reaffirming the festival’s role as a vital platform for powerful and diverse storytelling.
Opening the 10-day festival is Baab (2025), a haunting new fantasy film by Nayla Al Khaja that blurs the boundaries between the living and the dead. The programme also includes Carissa (2024), a coming-of-age drama from South Africa; Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk (2025) which documents the exchange between the late citizen journalist Fatema Hassona in Gaza and the filmmaker Sepideh Farsi; and five short films produced through the SFP Short Film Production Grant, which continues to support innovative cinematic voices: Saint Andrews (2025) by Erin Nene-Lee Ramirez; Yathoom (2025) by Hana Kazim; L'mina (2025) by Randa Maroufi; Goat (2024) by Judy Kibinge; and Morgenkreis [Morning Circle] (2025) by Basma Alsharif.
Competition Section
At the heart of SFP is the Competition section, which features 27 documentary and fiction films nominated by an international committee of leading filmmakers and industry experts. Carefully selected from films released in the past two years, all films are screened in the UAE for the first time. A number of screenings will be followed by Q&A sessions with the directors. The nominators for this edition are Alessandra Speciale, Bentley Brown, Clémentine Dramani-Issifou, Fadi Haddad, Hind Mezaina, Mohammed Alomda, Sara Merican, Wood Lin and Yasmina Tawil.
Director in Focus
This year’s Director in Focus is the late Lebanese filmmaker Jocelyne Saab (1948–2019), whose politically engaged documentaries and experimental features continue to inspire generations of filmmakers. Four of Saab’s films: Dunia, Kiss Me Not on the Eyes (2005); Once Upon a Time in Beirut (1995); South Lebanon: The Story of a Village under Siege (1976); and Les Femmes palestiniennes (Palestinian Women) (1974), will be screened alongside a special discussion with Mohanad Yaqubi (filmmaker, producer and researcher) and Mathilde Rouxel (President of the Jocelyne Saab Association) where they talk about the late filmmaker as well as the publication supported by the Foundation, Jocelyne Saab: Inventory 1973–1983. The Foundation will also present a film restoration workshop using 16mm footage from Saab’s archive.
First Takes
First Takes debuts this year to spotlight short experimental works by UAE-based students and recent graduates. In addition to the film screening, participants will also join a public roundtable addressing the challenges and opportunities for emerging filmmakers in the UAE. First Takes is organised by Sharjah Art Foundation in collaboration with American University of Sharjah; New York University Abu Dhabi; University of Sharjah; and Zayed University.
SFP Short Film Production Grant
Through the SFP Short Film Production Grant, Sharjah Art Foundation continues to champion the creation of daring short films from around the world. Five new grant-supported films will premiere at SFP8, expanding the Foundation’s growing archive of innovative, independent cinema.
Festival Centre
The Festival Centre at Fen Café and Restaurant in Al Mureijah Square will serve as the main hub for this year’s edition, offering a gathering space for filmmakers, audiences and guests to connect throughout the 10 days of SFP8. The venue will feature the festival’s ticket booth, a dedicated filmmakers’ lounge and social area, as well as spaces to eat, drink and relax between screenings. It will also host a pop-up shop offering exclusive SFP merchandise and a curated selection of publications and books. During the festival, Fen Café and Restaurant will offer set menus at a special price.
Sharjah Film Platform 8 is organised by Sharjah Art Foundation with the generous support of VOX Cinemas and University partners: American University of Sharjah; New York University Abu Dhabi; University of Sharjah; and Zayed University.
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, including 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
