The Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth handed Friday over to Italy, turning cinemas and craft tables into one busy celebration of how a country tells its stories. Children moved between film screenings, live shows and workshops, and the mood felt less like a formal programme and more like a street festival that happened to come with subtitles. For many young visitors, it was a first real taste of Italian culture, served in a way they could see, hear and taste.
Italy steps into the spotlight
Naming Italy as Guest of Honour gave SIFF 2026 a clear theme, and the organisers leaned into it. FANN Media Discovery Platform, the body behind the festival, built the day around Italy’s cinematic heritage, its arts and its everyday traditions. The aim was simple. Introduce children to a new culture through things they take part in, not lectures they sit through. That approach runs through the whole Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth, where learning tends to arrive wrapped inside play.
A premiere that speaks to every child
On the Green Carpet, the Italian film Forever With You had its Middle East premiere. Directed by Fabrizio Cattani, the story follows a boy named Filo who heads into the forest with his friend Rolo to find his missing dog, Pirlo. What begins as a search becomes something bigger, a story about courage, friendship and facing fears. Those feelings cross borders easily, and the young audience recognised them at once. Other screenings at VOX Cinemas in City Centre Al Zahia included Atlas of the Universe and the animated feature Tales From The Magic Garden, a trip into a world of wonder and magical stories. The programme also made room for films by children and young filmmakers, offering a window into their ideas and the way they see the world.
Pasta, masks and the making of young filmmakers
Over at the House of Wisdom in Sharjah, the festival traded the big screen for hands and ingredients. The La Dolce Vita Show brought energy to the venue, while the Colombina Masks workshop drew on Italian theatre, showing children how a mask can carry a character and an emotion. Food played its own part. Young cooks learned to make semolina pasta and tiramisu, two dishes that open a door into Italian home life. A ceramic coaster painting session let visitors design something small to keep.
What the Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth gives young audiences
Two workshops looked straight ahead to the next generation of storytellers. The Film Strip session showed how a run of still images becomes a moving story, and “From Idea to Screen” walked children through turning a first idea into finished content. You could watch confidence build in real time as a shy suggestion turned into a plan. That is the quiet promise of the Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth. Give a child a camera, a culture, and a bit of encouragement, and you often hand them a voice they keep for life.
