Objective: Supporting creativity and cultural understanding through art.
In 2019
28,000 participants in film festivals
18,980 female participants in film festivals
9,000 schools exposed to inspirational films
Sharjah International Children Film Festival brings international films and new media content to the youth and children in the region to develop their creative skills. At the same time, it also promotes cultural diversity, peace and tolerance among the children. For the fourth consecutive year, Crescent Enterprises is a strategic partner of the Sharjah International Children’s Film Festival.
Results: 28,000 community members including children attended the 2018 edition of the festival to view 138 movie screenings and participate in interactive panel discussions, workshops, celebrity meet-and-greets, innovative competitions and other activities. 73 percent of the participants were female. 9,000 schools were exposed to creative and inspirational films.
As part of its ongoing efforts to promote cultural understanding through art, Crescent Enterprises has supported the Arabian Sights Film Festival 2020 in Washington, DC for the sixth year in a row. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s festival was presented completely online, in conjunction with the Washington, DC International Film Festival (Filmfest DC), Washington’s longest-running film festival.
For 25 years, the Arabian Sights Film Festival has showcased the most intriguing films exploring issues facing the Arab region. The festival has celebrated established filmmakers and also bolstered new voices in Arab cinema. Arabian Sights is dedicated to presenting timely and nuanced films in the hopes of increasing clarity and civil discourse around a region often underrepresented and caricaturized in the Western film industry.
Results: The film festival reached more than 1,200 people in 2020.
Over 4,000 children and 400 mothers across the Middle East were given the opportunity to participate in Healing and Education through the Arts (HEART), a collaborative venture between Save the Children and Crescent Enterprises’ subsidiary, Global Gumbo Group (G3), made possible by funds raised from sales of G3’s hit charity single, ‘Tomorrow-Bokra’. The unique initiative gives children affected by chronic stress and poverty a platform to heal through artistic processes, allowing them to express motions, develop resiliency, and learn through creative activities that incorporate math, language, history, and science. As an extension of the partnership, at the Dubai International Film Festival, G3 premiered, ‘Bokra The Film’ a documentary that takes viewers on a journey across the Middle East with behind the scenes footage of the song’s creative process and the inspiring stories showcased through the development and success of HEART.