Sharjah Film Platform to Showcase 26 Global Films, Honor Oscar-Nominated Director Abderrahmane Sissako

The ninth Sharjah Film Platform is set to commence on October 30, featuring a curated selection of 26 films from across the globe. The festival will also present a special retrospective dedicated to the acclaimed, Oscar-nominated director Abderrahmane Sissako. Organized by the Sharjah Art Foundation, this 10-day event will run until November 8, uniting both emerging talents and established filmmakers from nations including Palestine, Lebanon, Kazakhstan, Mexico, India, and Haiti.

The festival's opening night will feature Letters (2025), an anthology comprising 17 short films by Lebanese director Josef Khallouf, which delves into the recent history of his country. The event will conclude with An Incomplete Drowning (2026), an experimental film co-directed by Palestinian artist Larissa Sansour and Denmark's Soren Lind. Set on a spectral vessel navigating the Mediterranean, the film interweaves figures from various epochs of Palestinian history to explore themes of colonialism, memory, and the capacity of objects to retain the past.

This year's 'Director in Focus' program will celebrate the work of Mauritanian filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako. Sissako is expected to attend the festival to lead a masterclass examining his distinctive filmmaking approach. The retrospective will include screenings of three of his notable films: Bamako (2006), Timbuktu (2014), and Black Tea (2024). Sissako, renowned for his exploration of identity, displacement, and political realities in Africa, earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film for Timbuktu, a powerful depiction of life under extremist rule in Mali. His earlier work, Bamako, critically examines international financial institutions through a fictionalized trial set in a Malian courtyard.

Emirati cinema will be represented by Hind Al Basti's short film Alia and Meera, which follows two close friends whose minor deception unearths a significant family secret. The festival will also continue its 'First Takes' initiative for the second consecutive year. This program aims to foster collaboration among aspiring filmmakers from institutions such as NYU Abu Dhabi, Zayed University, the American University of Sharjah, and the University of the Arts Sharjah. Developed in partnership with Germany's Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg, 'First Takes' offers pitching workshops, feedback sessions, and networking opportunities specifically for film students.

Film screenings will be held at the Mirage City Cinema, the Sharjah Art Foundation's outdoor venue in Al Mureijah Square, in addition to other locations throughout the emirate. The Sharjah Film Platform 9 is scheduled to take place from October 30 to November 8.