Sharjah's film festival opens on Friday.
The ninth Sharjah Film Platform runs from Friday 30 October to Sunday 8 November: 26 films in 10 days, most of them AED 15.75. These are the five screenings worth the drive.
Five placesChecked 29 October 2026Prices in AED
Sharjah Art Foundation runs the ninth Sharjah Film Platform from Friday 30 October to Sunday 8 November. There are 26 films over 10 days, on an open-air screen at Mirage City Cinema in Al Mureijah Square, in Sharjah's old quarter, and indoors at VOX Cinemas, City Centre Al Zahia.
This year's Director in Focus is Abderrahmane Sissako, who comes to Sharjah for a masterclass. Most tickets are AED 15.75, VAT included, and two of our five picks cost nothing at all, though both still need a booking.
Hours and prices change. Check with the venue before you go.
Opening night, under the sky
Letters
Josef Khallouf asked 18 Lebanese filmmakers to write a letter each, then swapped them by draw. The result is 17 short films made from other people's letters, and it opens the festival on the open-air screen.
The facts
- Where
- Mirage City Cinema, Al Mureijah Square, Sharjah (open-air)
- When
- Fri 30 Oct, 8pm. 90 minutes
- Price
- No charge, book a seat
- How to book
- Book on ticket.sharjahart.org, up to three seats per booking
- Who it's for
- Anyone who wants the festival's opening night, and anyone curious about Lebanon's younger filmmakers
ticket.sharjahart.org (opens in a new tab)Open in Maps @sharjahart
Sissako's latest
Black Tea
Abderrahmane Sissako is this year's Director in Focus, and Black Tea, from 2024, is his latest film. It plays in Mandarin, French, English and Portuguese, on one of the smaller indoor screens.
The facts
- Where
- VOX Cinemas, City Centre Al Zahia, Sharjah
- When
- Sat 31 Oct, 1pm. 110 minutes
- Price
- AED 15.75
- How to book
- Book on ticket.sharjahart.org. The VOX screen holds 60 to 70 seats, and 45 were left on 29 Oct
- Who it's for
- Anyone who follows world cinema closely
ticket.sharjahart.org (opens in a new tab)Open in Maps @sharjahart
A trial in a courtyard
Bamako
Sissako's 2006 film, shown at Cannes, stages a trial of the World Bank and the IMF in the courtyard a couple shares with other families in Mali's capital.
The facts
- Where
- VOX Cinemas, City Centre Al Zahia, Sharjah
- When
- Sun 1 Nov, 4pm. 115 minutes
- Price
- No charge, book ahead
- How to book
- Book on ticket.sharjahart.org
- Who it's for
- Anyone who likes a film with an argument at its centre
ticket.sharjahart.org (opens in a new tab)Open in Maps @sharjahart
A crocodile hunter in Cuba
To the West, in Zapata
David Bim's 2025 documentary from Cuba, a crocodile hunter's story filmed during the pandemic. Spanish with Arabic and English subtitles.
The facts
- Where
- Mirage City Cinema, Al Mureijah Square, Sharjah (open-air)
- When
- Wed 4 Nov, 8pm. 75 minutes
- Price
- AED 15.75
- How to book
- Book on ticket.sharjahart.org
- Who it's for
- Documentary people, and anyone after a weeknight film outdoors
ticket.sharjahart.org (opens in a new tab)Open in Maps @sharjahart
Masterclass and a screening
Sissako in person, then Timbuktu
The director gives a masterclass in Gallery 4 at 6:30pm, in French with Arabic and English translation. At 8pm the open-air screen shows Timbuktu, his Oscar-nominated 2014 film.
The facts
- Where
- Gallery 4, then Mirage City Cinema, Al Mureijah Square, Sharjah
- When
- Sat 7 Nov. Masterclass 6:30pm to 7:30pm, film 8pm, 96 minutes
- Price
- Masterclass no charge with registration. Film AED 15.75
- How to book
- Register for the masterclass on sharjahart.org (18 and over). Book the film on ticket.sharjahart.org (rated 15+)
- Who it's for
- Anyone who has seen one Sissako film and wants the rest of the story
ticket.sharjahart.org (opens in a new tab)Open in Maps @sharjahart
Before the drive
Book everything on ticket.sharjahart.org. Each ticket admits one. The VOX screens hold 60 to 70 seats and the open-air screen 200, so the indoor sessions go first.
Open-air films start at 8pm and the VOX sessions at 1pm or 4pm. Bring a layer for the open-air screenings.
How it ends
The festival closes on Sunday 8 November at 4pm with Larissa Sansour's An Incomplete Drowning at VOX Al Zahia.
How we checked
Every fact here comes from the venue's own website, menu, booking page or Instagram, or from the Michelin Guide and official listings. Nobody paid to be in this guide, and nobody knew we were writing it. If something has changed, write to [email protected] and we'll correct it. How we pick a place →
Photos
- Letters: @sharjahart
- Black Tea: @sharjahart
- Bamako: @sharjahart
- To the West, in Zapata: @sharjahart
- Sissako in person, then Timbuktu: @sharjahart
