Sharjah Film Platform brings world cinema and free workshops to your week

A cinema trip in Sharjah can take you from a Malian courtyard to a Thai family’s memories, with a chance to hear from the people behind the camera. Sharjah Film Platform is now under way, bringing a 26-title programme of independent films to the emirate until 8 November 2026.

The ninth edition runs at Mirage City Cinema, the open-air theatre in Sharjah’s historical quarter, and VOX Cinemas at City Centre Al Zahia. Alongside paid screenings, there are free sessions for adults who want to explore how films are made.

The Sharjah Art Foundation programme brings together filmmakers from Palestine, Lebanon, Kazakhstan, Mexico, India, Haiti and other countries. For residents who enjoy stories from beyond the usual cinema listings, it offers plenty of reasons to plan an evening out.

Build your own film week

There is still a varied programme ahead. These are some of the dates on the official screening schedule:

• 1 November: Bamako. Abderrahmane Sissako places a marriage under strain alongside a trial about the World Bank and IMF in a shared courtyard.
• 2 November: The Lost Princess. A Thai filmmaker explores her grandmother’s fading memories and the history of the Lanna royal family.
• 4 November: To the West, in Zapata. A Cuban family’s struggle to get by unfolds between marshland and coast.
• 6 November: First Takes. Discover a selection of short films by emerging UAE-based filmmakers.
• 7 November: Timbuktu. Sissako’s Oscar-nominated film screens on the same day as his masterclass.

The booking schedule lists each screening’s venue, time, language, subtitles and age rating.

Hear from Abderrahmane Sissako for free

The director of Bamako, Timbuktu and Black Tea will lead a free masterclass on 7 November, from 6.30pm to 7.30pm, at Gallery 4 in Al Mureijah Square.

Archive photo: Abderrahmane Sissako at the Berlinale, 21 February 2024. Elena Ternovaja / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped for display.

The session is for people aged 18 and over. It will be in French, with Arabic and English translation. Sissako will discuss how he connects personal stories with wider questions about politics, place and society.

Use the masterclass page to register. The form also lets visitors request accessibility support. The free masterclass and the film screenings are separate parts of the programme.

His work gives the festival a strong thread of migration and belonging. In Black Tea, included in this year’s retrospective, an Ivorian woman begins a new life in China. The foundation’s 28 October announcement explores the stories behind his three featured films.

Featured archive photo: Black Tea actors Wu Ke-Xi, Nina Mélo and Chang Han with director Abderrahmane Sissako at the Berlinale, 21 February 2024. Elena Ternovaja / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped for display.

Try a documentary workshop

For a more hands-on visit, Mahmoud Kaabour leads Documentary & Representation on 7 and 8 November, from 10am to noon, at The Flying Saucer in Dasman.

The free course is in English and open to adults aged 18 and over. Through film viewings, discussion and practical exercises, it explores consent, whose voice a film represents and the challenges of filming family members. Materials are provided, and registration is available through the course page.

Choose a film, add a talk or workshop, and make a day of discovering a different side of Sharjah’s cultural life.