SHARJAH, 20th October, 2026 (WAM) -- The ninth edition of the Sharjah Film Platform (SFP9), organised by the Sharjah Art Foundation, will present 26 international films from October 30 to November 8, bringing together emerging filmmakers and established professionals from the UAE, Palestine, Lebanon, Kazakhstan, Mexico, India, Haiti and beyond.

Held over 10 days, the festival will take place at Mirage City Cinema in Sharjah's historic quarter and at VOX Cinemas at City Centre Al Zahia.

The festival opens with Letters (2025), an anthology of 17 short films by Josef Khallouf that reflect on Lebanon's recent history. Other selections include David Bim's To the West, in Zapata (2025); Azeem Rajulawalla's More Punk Than Punk (2025); and Kapil Tanwar's Ru Ba Ru (Face to Face) (2025). The closing film will be Larissa Sansour's An Incomplete Drowning (2026).

Two short films supported by the Sharjah Film Platform Short Film Production Grant will also premiere: Asim Abdulaziz's I Broke a Vase (2026) and Fatima Wardy's White Musk (2026).

The Competition section will showcase documentary and fiction films selected by an international committee of filmmakers and industry professionals. All selected titles, released within the past two years, will receive their UAE premieres. Films will compete for awards in four categories: Documentary Feature, Documentary Short, Fiction Feature and Fiction Short.

This edition's Director in Focus programme highlights filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako, featuring screenings of Timbuktu (2014), Bamako (2006) and Black Tea (2024). Sissako will also lead a masterclass ahead of the Timbuktu screening, sharing insights from more than 30 years of filmmaking.

The festival's First Takes programme will support emerging filmmakers through screenings, pitching workshops, feedback sessions and networking opportunities with students from universities across the UAE.