The 13th Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth concluded with the Romanian-Bulgarian coming-of-age drama “Atlas of the Universe” receiving the best feature film award. Directed by Paul Negoescu, the film follows a 10-year-old boy whose errand to purchase school shoes transforms into a journey toward self-reliance. The festival jury characterized the work as embodying “the essence of this festival.” Brazilian animated feature “My Grandfather Is a Nihonjin,” directed by Celia Catunda, claimed the best animated feature award for its depiction of a Japanese-Brazilian child investigating his family’s heritage and cultural roots. Additional award recipients included Saudi documentary “The Path of Memory, Between the Lands of Jasmine and Basil” for best documentary and Emirati film “Oug” for best Arabic short. The festival’s inaugural Audience Award went to Thai narrative feature “Gohan,” which tracks a stray dog across three separate owners over more than a decade.
Beyond the competitive awards, the festival demonstrated expanded commitment to industry development and emerging filmmaker support. The pitching platform, which connects new filmmakers with established professionals for potential financing and collaboration, doubled its selections to six projects in its second year, up from three in the previous edition. The Industry Hub introduced various initiatives designed to involve young people across different filmmaking disciplines, including a Junior Jurors program and Festival Ambassadors program that provide participants with direct industry exposure.
Regional collaboration emerged as a secondary focus, with junior jury participants from Egypt and pitching projects representing creators from the UAE, Oman and the Palestinian diaspora. The festival screened 71 films selected from 1,802 submissions originating from 72 countries, with Italy designated as Country of Honor. The event’s organizational parent, FANN, also signed an agreement with the UAE’s National Media Authority addressing film screening procedures, regulatory frameworks and technical support, signaling growing integration between festival operations and government entities.
Local Emirati filmmakers participating in the competition emphasized ongoing structural challenges within the national film sector, citing financing constraints, distribution obstacles and audience access difficulties. The agreement with federal authorities represents an attempt to address such infrastructure gaps as the UAE’s broader film landscape undergoes shifts, including the scheduled return of the Dubai International Film Festival in December 2027 following a decade-long hiatus.
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