Trio of Cinematic Stars to Open Sharjah International Children’s Film Festival

A trio of celebrated cinematic stars from East and West will be opening the forthcoming Sharjah International Children’s Film Festival (SICFF), which takes place October 8-13 in Sharjah, Al Jawaher Reception & Convention Centre.

Hosted by FUNN - a Sharjah-based organisation dedicated to promoting media literacy among children and young adults - the fifth edition of the annual event will feature much-lauded Canadian child actor Jacob Tremblay, legendary Emirati film producer Ali Mustafa and CGI filmmaking wizard Ayman Jamal.

Turning just 11 years old this October 5, Jacob Tremblay’s youth belies his incredibly mature and assured acting ability. Best known for his role as Jack Newsome in Room (2015), his performance in that film earned him numerous awards and plaudits, including the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer and the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role. He was also nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role.

Ali Mustafa is one of the stars of the homegrown UAE movie industry, cementing his place as a father of the movement by being the first person to have produced an Emirati feature film City of Life, which was released in 2009. Mustafa was branded the ‘Best Emirati Filmmaker’ at the Dubai International Film Festival, won the 'Young Filmmaker of the Year' award at the Digital Studio Awards 2010 and had Variety magazine state that he was the Gulf region’s ‘first director of international standing.’

Founder and Managing Partner of Barajoun Entertainment, Ayman Jamal was responsible for producing Bilal the first CG-animated film in the Middle East. The movie, which featured Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Game of Thrones) and child actor Andre Robinson (Despicable Me 2) as voice actors was inspired by the real-life story of Bilal Ibn Rabah, an African slave who became one of the early followers of the Prophet Muhammad. The production utilised the input of animators from 22 countries and set a template for other budding animators in the region to follow.

FUNN’s six-day cinematic extravaganza SICFF 2017 will host a line-up of 70 filmmakers and screen 100 films selected from among 500 cinematic works that have been reviewed and evaluated by the SICFF panel of moderators. The event is being hosted under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA).

“We could not have asked for three more inspiring movie luminaries to open the fifth edition of the Sharjah International Children’s Film Festival. Jacob Tremblay is already a young star and has the perfect appeal for youth in the region who are keen on getting onto the silver screen themselves. Ali Mustafa, for his turn, directed and produced City of Life when he was in his twenties, while Ayman Jamal founded his own CGI studio and brought out the region’s first animated film whilst also at a young age. All three demonstrate just what youthful passion and ability can achieve,” said Sheikha Jawaher bint Abdullah Al Qasimi, Director of FUNN and Director of SICFF.

Through SICFF and its year-round initiatives, FUNN strives to provide a platform for young talent to showcase their creativity and learn first-hand about different aspects of the media industry, thereby enabling them to gain real insight into and experience of the media arts at a young age. The organization’s ultimate aim is to form a close-knit community of talented and dynamic young people who can share their experiences and expertise on a global scale through the promotion of their media work at film festivals across the world.