Emirati Filmmakers on Building a Local Cinema Ecosystem: ‘We Have a Long Way to Go’

By Essie Assibu

Essie Assibu

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Two Emirati filmmakers are bringing distinctly local stories to the 13th edition of the Sharjah Intl. Film Festival for Children and Youth, with Khalid Al Mahmood’s musical “The Mangrove House” and Abdulrahman Al Madani’s family drama “Oug,” the only Emirati films in competition.

Both filmmakers have longstanding ties to SIFF. “The Mangrove House,” which world premiered as the festival’s opening film, was pitched at SIFF’s inaugural Film Pitching Session last year as Al Mahmood was seeking post-production support. FANN – Media Discovery Platform, SIFF’s parent organization, subsequently came aboard to back the film. For Al Madani, “Oug” marks the third film he has screened at the festival, following “Nagafa,” which played at SIFF in 2015, and “Laymoon” in 2019.

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