News DeskSharjah, UAE: The leading regional children’s youth film festival, Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth [SIFF] has announced the “Junior Jurors” for 2023.
The festival is dedicated to enhancing the media literacy of children and youth, fostering children’s and youth’s creativity and showcasing the very best in filmmaking for, by and about children and young people. Open for the very first time to those outside of the UAE, 22 young film enthusiasts, aged between 12-20, across all nationalities, have been selected to develop and showcase their film critiquing skills. Jurors were chosen based on the individuals’ knowledge and interest in the cinematic field, willingness to speak and communicate with others, and enthusiasm towards participation and cooperation.
The junior jurors will participate in a series of training workshops, readying them to take on the role of junior critics during the Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth held at the end of October 2023. Their primary role at the film festival is to select and evaluate the “Best Child & Youth Made Films” in addition to their participation in the film discussion panels organised by the festival administration.
“This is the first year we have extended the opportunity to youth beyond the UAE and broadened our selection of nominees for the junior juror’s group. By providing these workshops for the junior jurors we are preparing young, talented people in the field of films to become film judges and are providing a platform for them to express their cinematic views, producing a promising future generation of filmmakers,” said Patron of SIFF, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi.
SIFF launched in 2013 and is the first children’s youth film festival in the UAE and the GCC region. Led by FUNN, an organization established by the Sharjah Government, under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness, the Ruler of Sharjah, the project aims to nurture and educate youth in media-related fields through various workshops, initiatives, and the festival itself. SIFF plays an integral role in bringing international films to the region and producing media content for children and youth.
