Sharjah Art Foundation announces a public programme of talks and panel discussions, which will be presented in parallel with the screenings at the seventh edition of Sharjah Film Platform (SFP). Bringing together nearly 30 international films the festival presents transformative, compelling and category-defying cinema to communities in Sharjah and beyond.
Featuring regional and international filmmakers, writers, producers and academics, this year’s talks centre on notions of modernity in African and Asian film, cinema as resistance and resilience in Palestine and beyond, and innovations in documentary filmmaking.
The talks will take place on 16, 17, 23 and 24 November 2024 at Gallery 1 & 2 Courtyard, Al Mureijah Square, in Sharjah’s historical quarter.
Free and open to the public, the programme is as follows:
Conversation – Countering the Colony: Reclamation, Archives and Visual Memory
Saturday, 16 November 2024 | 6:00 pm–6:45 pm
Focusing on the importance of visual memory in countering colonial erasure, this conversation explores the reclamation and use of archival images in Kamal Aljafari’s experimental documentary A Fidai Film (2024). Originally part of the collection of the Palestine Research Center in Beirut, the images were looted by the Israel army during its 1982 invasion of Lebanon.
Panel – Celluloid Visions: Analogue, Hybrids and Innovations in Documentary Storytelling
Sunday, 17 November 2024 | 6:00 pm–6:45 pm
In this panel, filmmakers who utilise analogue film and celluloid-digital hybrids share their artistic process. From experiments with colour and exposure to home movie aesthetics, they discuss their innovative approaches to documentary storytelling and visual language.
Panel – Modern Reckonings: Contemporary Life in New African and Asian Cinema
Saturday, 23 November 2024 | 4:30 pm–5:15 pm
This panel brings together filmmakers who grapple with themes of modernity. Centred on lived experiences in Africa and Asia, their SFP7 films foreground the challenges and opportunities of modern life, from migration, labour and issues of belonging to the introduction of new technology.
Talk – Filmography of Mohamad Malas, Director in Focus
Saturday, 23 November 2024 | 7:15 pm–8:00 pm
Nezar Andary talks about the work of Mohamad Malas, a major auteur of Syrian cinema. Malas’ prolific body of work includes The Dream (1987), The Night (1992) and Oh Father, I Am Youssef (2024). Premiering at SFP7, his latest film is a portrait of the leading Syrian artist Youssef Abdelke. This session is moderated by Fadi Haddad.
Conversation – From Gaza’s Ground Zero: Dispatches Amidst Genocide and Resilience
Sunday, 24 November 2024 | 7:30 pm–8:15 pm
In this conversation, filmmaker Rashid Masharawi discusses his latest project, From Ground Zero (2024), which is a collection of 22 short films made by Palestinians during Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. Masharawi talks about the arduous process of realising the films and how creativity can be an act of testimony and resilience in the face of unspeakable circumstances.
To register for the talks and learn more about Sharjah Film Platform 7, click here.
Sharjah Film Platform (SFP) is an annual festival of independent cinema and experimental filmmaking where audiences can discover new approaches to film and art. The 10-day event—which includes a range of regional and international films, talks by filmmakers and industry professionals, workshops and gatherings—is centred around Mirage City Cinema, the open-air theatre in Sharjah’s historical quarter.
Organised by Sharjah Art Foundation, SFP foregrounds recent cinematic achievements by international filmmakers and artists, noteworthy classics from around the region as well as experimental films that challenge the idea of what film practice is today.
Sharjah Art Foundation is an advocate, catalyst and producer of contemporary art within the Emirate of Sharjah and the surrounding region, in dialogue with the international arts community. The Foundation advances an experimental and wide-ranging programmatic model that supports the production and presentation of contemporary art, preserves and celebrates the distinct culture of the region and encourages a shared understanding of the transformational role of art. The Foundation’s core initiatives include the long-running Sharjah Biennial, featuring contemporary artists from around the world; the annual March Meeting, a convening of international arts professionals and artists; grants and residencies for artists, curators and cultural producers; ambitious and experimental commissions and a range of travelling exhibitions and scholarly publications.
Established in 2009 to expand programmes beyond the Sharjah Biennial, which launched in 1993, the Foundation is a critical resource for artists and cultural organisations in the Gulf and a conduit for local, regional and international developments in contemporary art. The Foundation’s deep commitment to developing and sustaining the cultural life and heritage of Sharjah is reflected through year-round exhibitions, performances, screenings and educational programmes in the city of Sharjah and across the Emirate, often hosted in historic buildings that have been repurposed as cultural and community centres. A growing collection reflects the Foundation’s support of contemporary artists in the realisation of new work and its recognition of the contributions made by pioneering modern artists from the region and around the world.
Sharjah Art Foundation is a legally independent public body established by Emiri Decree and supported by government funding, grants from national and international nonprofits and cultural organisations, corporate sponsors and individual patrons. Hoor Al Qasimi serves as President and Director. All exhibitions are free and open to the public.
Sharjah is the third largest of the seven United Arab Emirates and the only one bridging the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Reflecting the deep commitment to the arts, architectural preservation and cultural education embraced by its ruler, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Sharjah is home to more than 20 museums and has long been known as the cultural hub of the United Arab Emirates. In 1998, it was named UNESCO's 'Arab Capital of Culture' and has been designated the UNESCO ‘World Book Capital’ for the year 2019.
Alyazeyah Al Marri
alyazeyah@sharjahart.org
+971 (0)6 5444113
