The ninth edition of Sharjah Film Platform (SFP9) features award-winning films and UAE premieres. Enjoy unlimited access to all films and exclusive festival merchandise at Mirage City Cinema screenings for 40 AED with the Early Bird Festival Pass.
The 10-day festival takes place between 30 October and 8 November 2026 at Mirage City Cinema, the open-air theatre in Sharjah’s historical quarter, as well as other cinemas across Sharjah. This year’s lineup includes nearly 30 feature-length and short films, made by filmmakers from India, Mauritania, Egypt, Indonesia and Lebanon, among others.
This year’s Director in Focus will celebrate acclaimed Mauritanian filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako, whose poetic films explore themes of identity, displacement, migration and life across Africa.
The programme will include a selection of his films, including Bamako (2006), a powerful film that explores the impact of global economic policies on Africa through a symbolic trial held in a Malian courtyard. During a masterclass, Abderrahmane Sissako will share an insight into his filmmaking practice and career.
Other festival highlights include Larissa Sansour and Søren Lind’s experimental feature An Incomplete Drowning (2026), set aboard a ghostly ship drifting through the Mediterranean, and Ashtar Muallem’s debut short Land of Denied Rituals (2025), inspired by the funerary rites once performed by Palestinian women.
Supported by Sharjah Art Foundation’s Short Film Production Grant, I Broke a Vase (2025) by Asim Abdulaziz explores the haunting legacy of conflict while White Musk (2025) by Fatima Wardy delves into love and loss.
The Early Bird Pass gives you easy access to all film screenings; no need to book individual screenings, just show your pass and enter the cinema.
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