ArtDayME: Sharjah Art Foundation (SAF) announces open calls for three of its annual programmes in film, photography and comic publication. Committed to supporting the work of artists and art practitioners, the Foundation continues to provide opportunities that contribute to the production and presentation of contemporary art in the UAE, region and beyond.

The open calls are as follows: 

Sharjah Film Platform 7 Short Film Production Grant

Local and international filmmakers are invited to apply for the seventh edition of the Sharjah Film Platform (SFP) Short Film Production Grant. Offered in conjunction with SFP—the Foundation’s annual festival of independent cinema and moving image—the grant provides funds for the completion of short films that test the boundaries of contemporary filmmaking. Grant recipients will premiere their completed films at a future edition of SFP.  

The Short Film Production Grant is open to all independent filmmakers without any restrictions on age, region or genre. For this grant, a short film is defined as a work with a total runtime of 50 minutes or less, including the credits.

The recipients will share a total of 120,000 AED (approximately 30,000 USD); the monetary amount and the number of awardees will be determined on an as-needed basis. The deadline to apply is 11:59 pm UAE time (GMT +4) on 24 June 2024.

New this year, one Emirati awardee will receive funding through a partnership between Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (ADMAF) and the Foundation. Created to enhance independent Emirati cinema, this initiative offers 25,000 AED to an Emirati filmmaker jointly selected by the two institutions. Conditions, requirements and the deadline for Emirati applicants are identical to those for other applicants. 

Applicants are required to submit a recorded three-minute pitch through which they will be assessed on the overall vision for their film, including genre, theme, structure and plot; the originality of their script; and their creative and technical skills.

Vantage Point Sharjah 12

The open call for the 12th iteration of the annual photography exhibition, Vantage Point Sharjah (VPS), welcomes photographers working in all areas, genres and styles.

This year’s theme, ‘If I Were Another’, draws from the title of a poem by Mahmoud Darwish, which addresses intimate individual experiences and the weight of history and collective memory. VPS12 is an invitation to see the world through the lens of others who hold different identities, histories and sensibilities. 

Applicants should submit a portfolio suitable for a solo presentation (PDF format, under 30 MB), aligned with this year’s theme. The portfolio must include an artist statement, a short bio and a series of at least five photographs. Each portfolio can contain up to a maximum of four series. The submission can also include work images, installation photos, videos, statements and reviews. Applicants should not have had institutional solo exhibitions before the date of the application. The deadline for submission is 11:59 pm, UAE local time (GMT +4), on 24 June 2024.

The selection committee will identify five artists whose work will be showcased in a group exhibition from 28 September to 8 December 2024 at Bait Obaid Al Shamsi, Art’s Square, Sharjah. The shortlisted artists will be encouraged to present in creative formats, and a proportion of the production funding will be provided by the Foundation. As well as the opportunity to exhibit, the chosen artists will benefit from professional support, including workshops and mentorships designed to foster their development as photographers. 

Corniche 6 

GCC-based illustrators and comic artists are invited to submit pitches for a six-page comic to be considered for publication in the sixth edition of Corniche. The publication takes an exploratory and free-flowing approach to its process, allowing for a range of genres to be published together, including biography, science fiction, fantasy, mythology and art history. The deadline for submitting pitches is 11:59 pm, UAE local time (GMT +4), on Friday, 30 June 2024. 

The selected artists will be invited for a three-day creative exchange in Sharjah. The final comics will be compiled and published as an anthology. Corniche 6 will be launched at the Foundation’s upcoming art book fair, Focal Point, scheduled for 22–24 November 2024.

Corniche was born out of a three-day comic-making workshop held in 2019. The inaugural workshop was a huge success, and the artists decided to compile their final comics into an anthology named after the view overlooking the workshop space, the Sharjah Corniche. A crucial platform for local illustrators to meet, experiment and publish, Corniche is a community-centred project and one of the Foundation’s core initiatives.