SIFF Doubles Pitching Platform, Launches Audience Award — SkimNews
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- Atlas of the Universe won best feature at the 13th SIFF and “My Grandfather Is a Nihonjin” won best animated feature; jurors called the Romanian-Bulgarian drama “the essence of this festival.”
- SIFF screened 71 films from 38 countries, selected from 1,802 submissions from 72 countries, with Italy serving as Country of Honor.
- The Mangrove House demonstrated the potential of SIFF’s pitching platform, which selected six projects in its second year, up from three in 2025: after the Emirati film sought post-production support at the inaugural 2025 pitch, FANN backed it before it returned for this year’s opening world premiere.
- Gohan won SIFF’s inaugural Audience Award through post-screening QR-code ratings and also received a special mention from the feature-film jury.
- FANN signed an MoU with the UAE’s National Media Authority covering screening procedures, media coordination, regulatory procedures, training and technical support; the federal body also became an official supporting partner of SIFF.
- Ali Beialy and Retal Abdelaziz, aged 12 and 15, served as SIFF junior jurors, introducing and covering films; Beialy said the experience made him consider cinematography, lighting and directing alongside story.
- Abdulrahman Al Madani, whose film “Oug” won best Arabic short, identified financing, production support, distribution and audience reach as continuing constraints for Emirati filmmakers; “Oug” and “The Mangrove House” were the only Emirati entries in competition.
Why it matters: Emirati filmmakers gain pathways beyond screenings: the pitching roster doubled from three projects to six, and FANN backed “The Mangrove House” after its inaugural pitch before the film returned as the opening world premiere. The National Media Authority pact adds federal screening procedures, training and technical support, giving the festival a more formal role in local production infrastructure.
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