Romanian-Bulgarian drama "Atlas of the Universe" wins best feature at Sharjah children's film festival
Paul Negoescu's "Atlas of the Universe" has won best feature film at the 13th Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth, according to Variety. The Romanian-Bulgarian coming-of-age drama follows a 10-year-old boy whose errand to buy school shoes becomes a journey toward independence.
The festival is held in Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates. This year's edition screened 71 films from 38 countries, chosen from 1,802 submissions from 72 countries. Italy was the Country of Honor.
Celia Catunda's "My Grandfather Is a Nihonjin" took the prize for best animated feature. The Brazilian film follows a Japanese-Brazilian boy as he explores his family history and his sense of who he is. It had already premiered at Annecy, the French animation festival, in 2025.
Documentaries had their own winner. Areej Alghamdi's Saudi film "The Path of Memory, Between the Lands of Jasmine and Basil" was named best documentary, and the Saudi documentary "Marjooj" received a special mention.
The short film categories gave several films their moment. "Oug," from Emirati filmmaker Abdulrahman Al Madani, won best Arabic short. It centres on a childless couple who face family pressure and blame over infertility, with the blame falling along gender lines. "Little Big Dreams," by Shweta Parakh and Rakesh E Nair, won best international short. It follows a girl in Ladakh, India, who uses a wheelchair and is determined to continue her education.
The festival also introduced a new prize this year. The Thai feature "Gohan," directed by Chayanop Bunprakob, Baz Poonpiriya and Atta Hemwadee, won the inaugural Audience Award. The film follows a stray dog through the lives of three owners over more than a decade, and the feature jury gave it a special mention.
Several youth and student prizes rounded out the list. South Korea's "The Monster" won best film made by children and young people. "Raeda" took best student-made short, and "Fellow" won best student short animation. "The Great Dreamscape" was named best animation short.
For young filmmakers, the list is a useful map of where the festival's attention went this year. It spans animated features, documentaries, live-action shorts and work made by students, with films from Romania, Bulgaria, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, India, Thailand and South Korea among the winners.
