SHARJAH, 2nd November, 2026 (WAM) -- The 13th Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth (SIFF) concluded on Sunday with an awards ceremony at the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park, after attracting more than 50,000 visitors, participants and students.
Organised by FANN – Media Discovery Platform, the festival was held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Family and Community Council, wife of H.H. Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
The closing ceremony recognised filmmakers and emerging talent across several categories for their creative contributions to cinema.
Atlas of the Universe, directed by Paul Negoescu, won Best Feature Film, while My Grandfather Is a Nihonjin, directed by Celia Catunda, received Best Animated Feature Film. The Great Dreamscape, directed by Rémi Durin, won Best Short Animated Film.
In the short-film categories, Oug, directed by Abdulrahman Al Madani, won Best Arabic Short Film, while Little Big Dreams, directed by Shweta Parakh and Rakesh E. Nair, received Best International Short Film.
The Path of Memory, Between The Land of Jasmine and Basil, directed by Areej Alghamdi, won Best Documentary Film.
Among young filmmakers, The Monster, directed by Sohee Lee, received Best Child and Youth-Made Film, while Mabrouk Aleiko, directed by Mariam Janini, won Best Student Short Film.
Fellow, directed by Martha Rivière, Laura Darras, Théo Bergougnoux, Gaspard Keller de Schleitheim, Johanne Coppier and Romane Casha, won Best Student Short Animated Film.
The festival presented a Special Mention to Meshal Althobaiti for his performance in the documentary Marjouj Hazari, while Chayanop Boonprakob, Baz Poonpiriya and Aat Hemaweadee received a Special Mention for their work on the feature film Gohan.
Gohan also won the festival’s first Audience Award, introduced this year to enable audiences to vote for their favourite film.
Huda Al Harmoodi, Deputy Director of FANN, congratulated the winners and said the success of the 13th edition reflects the festival’s growing role in supporting young filmmakers, developing their skills and connecting them with industry professionals from around the world.
She said the festival aimed to go beyond film screenings by providing workshops, discussions and activities that encourage children and young people to learn, exchange ideas and tell their own stories.
Al Harmoodi added that the creativity demonstrated by participants highlighted the potential of the next generation of filmmakers and reinforced the importance of continuing to invest in their talents.
The 13th edition featured 71 films from 38 countries in its official competitions, alongside eight out-of-competition screenings, selected from 1,802 submissions received from 72 countries.
Brunei, Burkina Faso and Mauritania participated for the first time, while Egypt, France, the Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia and India were among the countries with the highest number of selected films.
Italy was celebrated as Guest of Honour in recognition of its cinematic heritage and artistic contributions.
The Green Carpet programme featured three films: Thailand’s Gohan, Italy’s Forever With You and the Austrian-German animated film Monster Mia, exploring themes including adventure, friendship, belonging and human relationships.
The House of Wisdom hosted the second Global Children and Youth Film Congress, bringing together filmmakers, experts and industry professionals to discuss the future of children’s and youth cinema, challenges facing film production in the Arab world and the role of technology in developing emerging talent.
The festival also continued its Junior Jurors Programme, giving young people aged 12 to 20 opportunities to learn film criticism and analysis and participate in evaluating entries in the Child and Youth-Made Films competition.
Its Festival Ambassadors Programme brought back former Junior Jury members to share their experiences, connect with their peers and encourage further youth participation.
The closing ceremony also honoured jury members, trainers, contributors, sponsors, partners and organisations that supported the festival’s training programmes and the success of its 13th edition.