Emerging Arab Directors Given a Pathway Toward Filmmaking Careers by Expanded Pitching Platform at Sharjah Film Festival
The Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth has doubled its pitching programme, selecting six short-film projects for its second edition, compared with three at its launch. The platform aims to help emerging Arab filmmakers move from training and screenings towards production by connecting them with potential funders and partners.
The projects come from filmmakers across the Arab world and diaspora and are seeking support from Sharjah and elsewhere. They include Palestinian-American Mike Mo Elsherif’s “The Black Hole”, which is seeking funding ahead of a planned winter 2027 shoot in Kentucky; “Kot Kot Kot”, a UAE production seeking post-production support and aiming for completion by the end of 2026; and Saleh Mohammed’s “The Last Call”, about a phone call that prompts its protagonist to revisit the past.
In short
- Sharjah’s film pitching programme has expanded from three projects to six.
- The selected shorts are seeking financing and production partners.
- Projects include stories about trauma, grief and unresolved memories.
Explained simply
A film pitch is a proposal filmmakers present to potential funders and partners to explain a project and seek support. For emerging directors, this can help bridge the gap between training or showing work at festivals and getting a film made.
The Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth runs a pitching programme for short films by filmmakers from the Arab world and its diaspora. Its expanded selection includes projects at different stages: some are seeking money to begin production, while others need help completing films already under way.
The programme matters because funding, production resources and industry contacts can be difficult for new filmmakers to secure. Support from Sharjah and elsewhere could help the selected projects reach completion and audiences.
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