Sharjah Art Foundation announces the Early Bird Pass offer for the ninth edition of its annual festival of independent cinema and experimental filmmaking, Sharjah Film Platform 9 (SFP9). Taking place from 30 October to 8 November 2026, SFP9 features nearly 30 screenings across Mirage City Cinema, Al Mureijah Square and other cinemas in Sharjah.

For unlimited access to all films during the 10-day festival, moviegoers can purchase the Early Bird Pass at a special price of 40 AED, available until 7 October 2026. As part of this exclusive offer, pass holders will also receive festival merchandise, plus a 500-AED voucher that can be used at the SAF Shops located in Al Mureijah Square and Rain Room. All pass holders will be eligible for the SAF Shop voucher once they have watched any seven films at the festival.

Each Early Bird Pass will be issued in the form of a ticket with a barcode and serial number. Although advance booking is not required for individual films, pass holders can use their pass at the box office to reserve a seat for any film screening.

The Early Bird promotion offers a convenient and cost-effective way to experience the diversity and depth of the festival’s international and regional film programme, which includes fiction and documentary works by emerging and established filmmakers.

This edition’s Director in Focus invites Academy Award-nominee Abderrahmane Sissako to present three of his acclaimed works, including Bamako (2006) which was presented at the Cannes Film Festival. Early Bird pass holders will be granted access to Sissako’s in-person masterclass on his filmmaking practice. 

Other films in this year’s lineup includes An Incomplete Drowning (2026), directed by Larissa Sansour and Søren Lind. Set aboard a ghostly ship drifting through the Mediterranean, the film gathers castaways from different eras of Palestinian history in a meditation on colonialism and the power of objects to carry history. Also featured is Land of Denied Rituals (2025) by Ashtar Muallem. Inspired by the funerary rites once performed by Palestinian women, the experimental short seeks to revive endangered customs through movement and embodiment.

Two films supported by the Foundation’s Short Film Production Grant will premiere at the festival: I Broke a Vase (2026) by Asim Abdulaziz, a psychological drama exploring the haunting legacy of a former journalist, and White Musk (2026) by Fatima Wardy, which explores the tension that arises when a child is forced to parent their own parent.

Nominated by an international committee, the selection of films will compete for the Sharjah Film Platform Awards in two categories: Documentary and Fiction.

The Documentary Section nominators are Manuel F Contreras (Documentary Filmmaker, Programmer & Curator); Liz Chege (Curator, Critic & Researcher); Chayanin Tiangpitayagorn (Film Critic & Independent Curator); Bentley Brown (Filmmaker, Scholar & Assistant Professor of Media Communication); and Bálint Bíró (Filmmaker, Mentor & Lecturer).

The Fiction Section nominators are Alaa Alasad (Producer, Distributor & Head of Production and Distribution); Chafic Tabbara (Film Critic & Programmer); Djia Mambu (Journalist, Film Critic, Curator & Author); and Toyeba Mushtaq (Film Scholar, Curator & Head of Curation).

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.

Joseph De la Cerna
joseph@sharjahart.org
+971 (0)6 5444113