Al Qasba, a premiere tourist, cultural and entertainment destination in Sharjah, has launched a new film club in association with the UAE-based Swiss Art Gate for children in the age group of 6 to12 years.

The film club, ‘The Magic Lantern’, will offer the children the pleasure of watching the greatest films in a real cinema atmosphere, said the organizers of the club.

A wide selection of new films and older classics will be shown every month gathering children from all over the UAE to independently experience their emotions and develop their critical thinking and interaction with the cinema world.

“The idea behind the new film club is to give the space for children who love watching films to experience the true feelings a movie theatre provides, said Dina Al Nakhi, events manager at Al Qasba.

'Showing its second movie, ‘Chicken Run’, on Saturday (December 18th at 5:30 pm), ‘The Magic Lantern’ is the 21st Century version of the old Saturday Morning Film Clubs, which allow children to explore the feelings of laughter, sadness and fear in a safe environment with friends of the same age,' she noted.

Before each show, The Magic Lantern members are sent a little magazine to inform them about the upcoming program.

In the cinema, children are welcomed by presenters, chatting with them about the film and their expectations, and before the screening, a little sketch is performed highlighting certain aspects of the film’s story or of cinema history, or explaining cinematic techniques.

The Magic Lantern views children as real audience: demanding and critical, yet always ready to be amazed.

The venue is supervised by a team of responsible adults, who welcome the children before each show, chat with them about the film and their expectations, Al Nakhi said.

“The children will be able to enjoy their favorite movies on a huge screen, experience their own feelings and most importantly becoming more aware of movie scenes while developing their critic techniques. With The Magic Lantern, children develop into discerning and critical viewers able to enjoy films more fully,” Al Nakhi remarked.

The annual membership fees have been set at Dh100 ($27.2). For each additional child within the same family, the club will charge Dh75 as fee.

Members can attend six shows a year between September and June, each time receiving by mail a magazine and enjoying a live stage show and a great film.-TradeArabia News Service