Sharjah Art Foundation Brings Arab Cinema to India with SFP Montage
The Sharjah Art Foundation will present its acclaimed initiative, Sharjah Film Platform Montage (SFP Montage), at the upcoming Emami Art Experimental Film Festival (EAEFF), scheduled to take place from 11 to 14 September 2025 at the Emami Art gallery and the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata, India. This cross-regional collaboration, led by Emami Art in partnership with the Sharjah Art Foundation, aims to bridge cultures by introducing Arab short films to South Asian audiences.
A Tapestry of Voices and Memories
The curated programme includes works from Bahrain, Qatar, Yemen, and Palestine, weaving together themes of memory, care, grief, and resistance. These powerful narratives delve into how communities preserve and interpret memory, highlighting the intersection of personal experience with broader sociopolitical realities.
Sharjah Film Platform Beyond Borders
SFP Montage forms part of the Foundation’s celebrated Sharjah Film Platform, with a focus on recontextualising selected works to encourage cross-cultural connections. By showcasing this lineup in India, the programme provides an opportunity for Arab voices to engage new audiences, sparking dialogue and solidarity across regions.
Programme Highlights
The selection includes:
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Bar Saar (2023) by Mohammed Jassim: A tender documentary from Bahrain that captures everyday life through the lens of a father and son who bond over the traditional sport of donkey racing, offering insight into cultural traditions kept alive across generations.
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Upshot (2024) by Maha Haj: A compelling narrative about a grieving couple who isolate themselves on a remote farm, only to confront a haunting truth when a stranger arrives, challenging the boundaries between past and present sorrow.
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The Grocery List (2024) by Taqwa Ali Naser: A surreal story set in a mysterious minimarket, where mothers shop for milk and a young man resists his mother’s troubling choices, blending symbolism and social commentary.
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And Then They Burn the Sea (2021) by Majid Al-Remaihi: A poetic meditation on memory loss, this film draws on the director’s personal archives and dreamlike visuals to reflect the fading memories of a beloved mother.
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Don’t Get Too Comfortable (2021) by Shaima Al Tamimi: A deeply personal video essay that examines questions of migration, identity, and intergenerational memory, inviting viewers to consider how individual histories resonate across time and place.
By presenting SFP Montage at EAEFF, the Sharjah Art Foundation reinforces its commitment to cultural exchange and the global promotion of Arab cinema, inviting audiences to listen, reflect, and connect through stories that transcend borders.
— Team V.DIR-EM-UAE
